Over the past five years, i.e. from the year 2019 to 2024, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has reportedly planted over seven million saplings in the city area.
According to the garden department of the capital’s civic body, it has planted 75.43 lakh trees in the city over the past five years. This significant increase came after a tree census conducted in 2012 revealed only 6.18 lakh trees with the city’s green cover dwindling to just 4.66%.
In these five years, the city’s area also grew from 466 sq km to 480.88 sq km.
Approximately 30 lakh trees were planted in the city’s west, 40.91 lakh in the east, and 4.47 lakh along the Sabarmati riverfront and metro rail route, the corporation reported.
The figures raised eyebrows in the standing committee. “A few months ago, AMC commissioner M Thennarasan raised concerns with the garden department officials regarding the discrepancy between the reported plantation numbers and the lack of perceivable change in the city’s green landscape,” says a senior AMC official.
A random check of trees planted in the past five years showed that approximately 40% had perished, amounting to a loss of around 30.17 lakh trees. This leaves 45.26 lakh trees, even if garden department data is considered to be true. However, a subsequent vigilance inquiry into trees planted in the past two years found them alive, though this report’s validity is uncertain.
Undeterred, the AMC plans to launch “Mission Three Million Trees” in 2024-25, aiming to plant an additional 30 lakh trees, with 15 lakh planned for the upcoming monsoon season. The standing committee has approved the necessary budgetary allocation for this initiative.
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