NMC To Plant 5L Trees In Year-long Green Drive, Gadkari To Launch Campaign On June 5

Nagpur: Seeking to boost Nagpur's green cover and counter rising urban temperatures, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will plant five lakh saplings across the city over the next year. The ambitious initiative will be launched by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on World Environment Day, June 5, as part of a broader environmental conservation and cleanliness campaign that will continue until June 21.Announcing the programme on Wednesday, Mayor Neeta Thakre said the plantation drive is aimed at strengthening the city's ecological balance. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" campaign, saplings will be planted in gardens, along riverbanks, near lakes, on the city's outskirts and across all wards with the participation of corporators and residents.Preparations are already underway, with pits being readied ahead of the monsoon. The drive will be carried out jointly by NMC's Garden Department and the Social Forestry Department. To improve the survival rate of saplings, the civic body will involve senior citizens, police friends, mohalla committees, and NGOs in their upkeep and monitoring.The campaign will also feature an extensive cleanliness drive covering lakes, gardens, religious places, markets, transport hubs, crematoriums, heritage structures and tourist attractions. NMC will simultaneously undertake a special electronic waste collection drive across the city.Appealing for public participation, Thakre said cleanliness cannot be sustained through municipal efforts alone and requires active citizen involvement. She added that the campaign aims to foster lasting behavioural change rather than remain a one-off exercise.Mayor Thakre also said the NMC has stepped up efforts to clear water hyacinth from city lakes. With new machinery deployed, the civic body is removing between 150 and 200 tonnes of the invasive weed daily and targets its complete eradication from water bodies.On encroachment, Thakre said the ongoing ‘Mission 100 Days' drive will continue, with stringent steps to curb re-encroachment and keep footpaths clear for pedestrians.As part of the awareness campaign, NMC will organise a cycle marathon on June 7 and has appealed to citizens to participate in large numbers.To ensure broad community participation, NMC has already held meetings with representatives of social organisations, government departments, religious institutions, market associations, transport bodies, builders' groups and social media influencers.