Hyderabad: Launched on the 3rd, the Haritha Haram programme initiated by the Telangana government has been gathering momentum and received appreciation from across the country. The state government intends to plant around 160 Crore seedlings in the next 4 years through the initiative.
However, agriculture experts closely working with the cause, have shown concern over the quality of seedlings being used. They say that most of the seedlings are premature and have not grown into saplings, which means many of them would not be able to withstand extreme climatic conditions and are bound to perish in the heat or extreme rains.
A senior horticulture officer associated with the programme said, “Usually, it takes a seedling about nine months to grow into a self-sustainable sapling. But it is not the case here. Most of the plants in the nurseries were only sown in March and are now being dispatched for plantation. They would not be able to survive.” Experts from the department, who gone through various nurseries in the city, said that the amount of time given for the seedlings to turn into saplings was very short. “The plants require some time to age. If the government plants them in a hurry , the chances of their survival are next to none,” an expert said.
In light of the situation, Palle Rajeshwar Reddy Nalgonda in-charge for the Haritha Haram programme, said they are planning to re-examine the issue and take a more scientific approach. “There are concerns and we are hoping to address them soon.”
