50 crore plantation drive fails to make political inroads

Nagpur: The much-hyped 50-crore

plantation drive

launched under ‘Green Maharashtra’ mission in the last four years by the BJP-Shiv Sena government has “failed to make any political impact”.

The drive, which was launched with the aim to increase state’s green cover and tackle climate change, was marred by criticism from an assortment of social activists, actors and leaders terming it as a populist move to seek political mileage. Most of the criticism was over concerns of poor survival and haphazard plantations.

The drive has earlier been criticized by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s aunt and former minister Shobha Fadnavis, and Marathi film actor Sayajirao Shinde over poor survival rate of plants.

TOI spoke to a cross-section of people across the state who maintained that the issue is neither on the agenda of candidates, nor are parties talking about it; maybe because environment protection cannot win back votes.

In 2016, the BJP-Shiv Sena officially launched the drive and in 2016, 2.82 crore saplings were planted, followed by 5.43 crore in 2017, 15.88 crore in 2018 and 34.54 crore in 2019, with the participation of NGOs, individuals and non-forest institutions.

In all, 58.67 crore saplings were planted, out of which the forest department alone planted over 27 crore, spending over Rs6,500 crore for five years. The state has not considered the 2 crore saplings drive as official one, and hence the forest department says it has no data on its evaluation and survival thereon.

“The forest department mobilized over 95 lakh people to be a part of the drive, but it is not necessary that these will be converted into votes. It is true that there have been attempts at various forums to seek political mileage out of the drive but in Chandrapur, it is not an issue during campaigning,” says Suresh Chopne, president of Green Planet Society.

“Though plantation is a good move per se, given the way it has been done, survival is expected to be very poor. Saplings were planted at the same spot the next year. No provision has been made for protection from grazing and watering. The campaign will not get any political mileage in polls,” he adds.

Former divisional forest officer (DFO) Hemant Chhajed from Nashik, where the highest number of saplings (1.99 crore) have been planted, says, “The drive will get no political mileage. On the contrary, questions are being raised about the plants’ survival as a lot of public money was spent on the drive. The common man knows that so many saplings can’t be maintained. Gram panchayats planted crores of saplings but have nothing to show.”

In Nanded too, which is second in the state by planting 1.85 crore saplings, green activist Ajay Jadhav says, “This is a high-profile constituency with former chief minister Ashok Chavan contesting, but the 50-crore plantation is not an issue at all. No leader is talking about it.”

Raman Kulkarni, a tour operator from Kolhapur, says, “The district planted over 1.13 crore plantations but there is no noise about it at all. No party or candidate is talking about it as survival rate is always good in this district owing to good rains.”

Solapur honorary district wildlife warden Ninad Shah too echoed the same feelings. “The 50-crore plantation drive is not an issue in campaigning. Candidates are not even talking about it, perhaps because of lack of awareness.”