The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is all set to plant 10 lakh saplings in the New Delhi area during the ongoing monsoon season under the plantation drive undertaken by the council. Besides, ornamental, herbal and shrubs as many as 30,000 indigenous trees, like sisham, pipal, neem, and fruit-bearing plants like mangoes, jamun, among others will be planted during the drive, said Chairman NDMC Naresh Kumar.

He said that to achieve the target of 48 per cent to 50 per cent green area in New Delhi, the council launched an intensive drive of tree plantation on Saturday from all its 52 NDMC and Navyug schools.

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According to him, during the Saturday's plantation drive as many as 28,000 schoolchildren of the NDMC and Navyug Schools planted saplings on their school premises and surrounding area, like parks, gardens, along road sides and service lanes.

Stressing upon the importance of ecological balance, he said, "It is the need of the hour to save our environment as the deforestation due to human greed and vested interest has posed a great threat to not only the mankind but the whole universe."

The council plans to conduct weekly drive in its big gardens, parks, sides of wide roads, local parks and government offices and quarters. The NDMC will include schoolchildren, Member of Parliaments, ministers, ambassadors, bureaucrats, judges, and RWAs.

"The NDMC area, a leafy VIP zone in the city's heart and covers just 3 per cent of the city, but it has nearly 48 per cent green cover and the council now aims to make it 50 per cent. As per the third party audit and a survey conducted by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) in NDMC area, the finding shows that survival rate of tree plantation in NDMC area in last two years was about 80 per cent per year," said the chairman.