The third Phase of Haritha Haram, world’s largest green drive aimed at restoring the green cover in the state from 24 to 33 per cent, got underway on Wednesday.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao formally launched the programme at the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) site in Karimnagar district by planting a medicinal plant of Mahogany species in the 48 acre plot earmarked for developing a park.
Later addressing a well attended public meeting in Ambedkar grounds in Karimnagar, he said he preferred Karimanagar to launch the third phase of the green drive because of the great importance attached to the place.
It was the very venue where he had launched the fight for Telangana and realised it disproving what the people skeptical of the movement had prophesied. There would be no need for looking back for any initiative that took off from this place.
He expressed the hope that the place should give the impression of dense forest if someone seeks to take an aerial view of it after a couple of years. Shaping Karimnagar into a eco green city was not impossible when people become part of the drive.
Every individual should help protect the saplings as they groom rear their children in their families. He appealed to the local elected representatives, especially the corporators to task themselves with the great responsibility.
What will be considered important for the posterity is the environment it can enjoy rather than the properties we would be leaving for it to inherit, he said adding that a prosperous Tealangana could be possible only with the revival of lost green cover.
Chief Minister said that the government had planned at Rs 500 crore tourism project near LMD. Stating that Karimnagar could be developed as London of Telangana state, he said Manair river is what River Thames for London.
In an obvious reference to Minister for Finance, Etela Rajender who also took part in the programme, he said the district had a good Minister who can take up its development issues. There would no dearth funds too. He said the city had no good committee hall. It will be fulfilled soon.
Source: Telangana Today