Punjab to plant trees along all highways

Chandigarh, April 13 (IANS) As Punjab celebrated the Baisakhi harvest festival Friday, the state government announced it was launching a major sapling plantation drive on vacant land along national and state highways in the state.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with senior forest and irrigation department officials here Friday.

Badal directed the forest department to identify vacant and shrub-covered land along national and state highways for further afforestation. He directed that long stretches of same variety trees must be planted in a planned manner over both sides of these highways.

The plantation drive will begin in June-July after the area along highways is identified and the requirement of saplings is known, officials said.

The chief minister also directed officers of the forest and irrigation departments to resolve the issue of planting of trees along irrigation canals and drains in the state.