Amid stifling heat in Indore, Vijayvargiya announces drive to plant 51 lakh saplings

Indore: Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday expressed concern over record summer temperatures in Indore, the state's commercial capital, and emphasised the need for extensive tree plantation so that future generations have "pure oxygen and freedom from pollution".

Vijayvargiya, who is the urban development minister in the Mohan Yadav government, said 51 lakh saplings will be planted in a 4-hour period in the near future as part of efforts to give relief to people of the city.

On May 23, the city recorded 44.5 degrees Celsius, which was an eight-year high for the month of May, India Meteorological Department officials said.

"If society is not made aware of the need to increase green cover amid record-breaking heat conditions in Indore, then the coming days will be tough for the environment. It is important to have a green revolution in the city so that future generations have pure oxygen and get freedom from pollution," he told reporters.

"Therefore, we have decided to plant 51 lakh saplings in four hours in the near future in the city. Efforts will be made to get this feat registered in the Guinness World Records. As per the current population of Indore, the city must have 25 crore trees but their numbers have come down to four to five crore," he added.

Vijayvargiya asked every resident of Indore to plant at least 10 saplings per year and ensure their growth into trees.

Inputs from PTI