Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday launched Delhi's 70-lakh tree plantation drive under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, marking the beginning of an ambitious plan to restore the capital's Ridge forest. The programme also saw the flagging off of 300 electric buses, inauguration of three electric bus depots and an automated vehicle testing station, and the virtual foundation stone laying for a high-security prison in Narela.
Planting saplings at the Central Ridge and Nanakpura Ridge, Amit Shah said Delhi's Ridge would be restored by removing invasive species such as babul and kikar and replacing them with native trees.
"It is important to talk about the Ridge. For years, environmentally unsuitable species like babul and kikar spread across it. They will now be removed and replaced with native trees," he said.
Amit Shah said nearly 5,000 hectares of the Ridge had now been brought under legal forest protection after the final notification remained pending for almost three decades.
"Over the next three years, peepal, banyan, neem, arjun and jamun, trees that can live for more than 100 years, will be planted to turn the Ridge into the lungs of Delhi," he said.
He said the restoration programme would include the revival of more than 70 ponds and water bodies, conservation of archaeological structures and development of theme-based forests. The Centre and the Delhi government, he added, aim to develop 6,300 hectares of the Ridge into protected forest over the next four years.
Appealing to Delhi residents to participate in the campaign, Shah urged people to register on the Green Drive Portal and plant a tree in the name of their mother under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative.
Shah Targets Previous AAP Government Over Yamuna
Amit Shah also attacked the previous AAP government over Yamuna pollution.
"During the previous government, around 1,500 metric tonnes of cattle dung was going directly into the Yamuna every day," he alleged.
He said the Delhi government would sign an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to process cattle dung into biogas and organic manure.
"We will ensure that not even one kilogram of cattle dung enters the Yamuna," he said.
Home Minister said 129 sewage treatment plants had become operational over the past year and another 59 would be added. He said Delhi's EV policy, Yamuna rejuvenation and Ridge restoration together would help realise the vision of a greener capital.
Rekha Gupta Announces Oxygen Parks, EV Expansion
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Centre had extended support to the Delhi government on issues ranging from law and order to Yamuna cleaning and environmental conservation.
"When the Centre and the Delhi government work together, every task can be accomplished," she said.
Ms Gupta said ecological restoration work had begun across the capital and added that "development and nature complement each other".
Calling it Delhi's biggest green cover campaign, she said this year's Budget had been presented as a Green Budget.
She announced plans to develop 100 Oxygen Parks across Delhi on the lines of Gujarat, with work already underway on 18. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) will also receive financial assistance to improve neighbourhood parks.
300 Electric Buses Added To Delhi's Fleet
The Delhi government inducted 300 new electric buses into the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) fleet, taking the total public bus fleet to nearly 6,600 buses, including 4,845 electric buses.
"Our target is to have 7,000 electric buses on Delhi's roads by 2027," Ms Gupta said, adding that the government aims to expand the fleet to around 14,000 buses by 2028-29.
Three electric bus depots at Narela, Rithala and Kohat Enclave were also inaugurated to support the growing electric bus fleet.
Narela High-Security Prison, Automated Testing Station
Amit Shah inaugurated a four-lane Automated Testing Station at Nand Nagri for automated vehicle fitness testing.
He also virtually laid the foundation stone for a high-security prison in Narela. According to the Delhi government, the prison will accommodate more than 250 inmates and feature AI-enabled surveillance, biometric access control, automated locking systems, anti-tunnelling technology and an integrated command-and-control centre. The government said Tihar Jail's high-security operations will be shifted to the Narela facility in phases.
