-SATISH HANDA
On the eve of World Environment Day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatter announced to develop a Oxygen Park in area ranging between 5 to 100 acres on land belonging to village ‘Panchayat’ or Urban Development Authority to be maintained by state forest department in every district in the state within a year in order to have a close relationship between people and nature. While inaugurating first Oxygen Park near Mughal canal at Jarnal chief minister said the state as well as country has faced severe shortage of oxygen in the hospitals during COVID-19 epidemic outbreak as a result large number of patients had lost their lives in hospitals in the absence of availability of oxygen and such situation would have been avoided in case of maximum quantity of oxygen producing plants would have been in the state.
Talking to media persons at CM City Karnal, Khatter said Haryana state government has fixed a target for plantation of three crore trees producing oxygen in the environments which include plants like Bargad (Banyan), Bans (Bamboo), Jamun (Blackberry), Neem, Ashoka, Bel, Peepal in the state during current year in months June to September as against one crore plants in previous years in this period. He said, state government is going to develop another oxygen park at Panchkula likely to be inaugurated soon.
Chief Forest Controller Haryana V.S. Tanwar while addressing media persons said that Forest Minister Kanwar Pal Gurjar has given approval to develop oxygen parks with ‘Panch-vati’ plants including Bargad, Peepal, Bel, Ashoka and Neem known for enhancing greenery, have religious background, possess Ayurvedic properties, produce oxygen to control pollution in the atmosphere all having status as ‘National Tree’ at 134 religious places spread across 48 km areas in Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal, Yamunanagar and Jind districts in the state. Tanwar disclosed that there is a proposal to have walking tracks, exercise lawn and fast food eating counters in proposed oxygen parks in the state. He further told that there is also a proposal for developing 7000 oxygen parks on ‘Panchayat’ land in rural areas all over in Haryana state so that the state never come across shortage of oxygen in future.
While talking to media persons, Khatter said, for the maintenance of 75 years or above old trees, Haryana state government has decided to introduce pension scheme similar to old-age scheme for such trees to pay Rs 2500 annually as ‘Budhapa Samman’. He said, in the absence of care most of the plants cultivated every year during rainy season usually collapse within a period of two years due to lack of care.
