Sitamarhi plants 40 lakh saplings

Patna: Sitamarhi district officials and residents planted 40.5 lakh saplings on Friday (August 10), the last day of Van Mahotsav.

The initiative was taken by district magistrate (DM) Ranjit Kumar Singh, who charted out an elaborate plan for achieving this feat.

The district administration has now sent a detailed report of this achievement to the representatives of Guinness World Records claiming that it is the first time that so many saplings have been planted at one place in a single day.

“According to information available with us, around 22 lakh saplings had been planted in a single day in the Philippines whereas in Madhya Pradesh, around 25 lakh saplings were planted in a day in the past. As we planted over 40 lakh saplings in a single day, we decided to send the details to the Guinness World Records,” Sitamarhi DM Ranjit Kumar Singh told The Telegraph on Sunday.

Sharing details of the strategy, Singh said apart from government teachers and students, members of Jeevika self-help groups, social organisations and people’s representatives were roped in shoulder the responsibility to achieve the feat. Also, local-level committees had been set up to monitor the plantation drive and prepare the reports accordingly.

The DM led the drive on the Sashastra Seem Bal campus on the outskirts of Sitamarhi town where 25,000 saplings were planted on the 20-acre campus. Singh planted 20 saplings on the premises.

Prior to D-day when the plantation was done, special efforts were made to mobilise saplings and the planning was done a fortnight ago. Apart from procuring saplings from the nurseries of the forest department locally and from adjoining districts, the district administration also got saplings from the agriculture department and nurseries from Hajipur and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

The saplings were brought to the district between August 4 and 7. On August 8 & 9, pits were made for planting the saplings.

Having achieved this feat, the district administration will now launch a special drive to make people aware of the importance of keeping the saplings in good shape so that these could grow into trees.

“We will motivate individuals on whose land saplings have been planted to nurture the plants. In case of public places, the district administration will make arrangements for keeping the saplings in good shape,” said district magistrate Singh.

Courtesy: The Telegraph