Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, July 12, inaugurated 101 Oxygen Parks across Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and unveiled a new Heritage Park.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is looking forward to expand its green infrastructure under the ‘Green Lok Sabha Campaign’ as well as the Centre’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, IANS reported.
Speaking at an event, Shah said people should look forward to marking occasions like their mother’s birthday or other auspicious days by planting a tree, saying the campaign should become a mass movement.
“Every person should plant a tree in the name of their mother and can also plant one in the name of their guru,” he said.
He noted that ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ should grow into a nationwide public initiative.
The civic body highlighted that the simultaneous inauguration of 101 Oxygen Parks will increase green cover, improving air quality and creating accessible green spaces across the city.
The AMC said that the initiative supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s environmental campaign and the goal of developing a greener Ahmedabad.
It noted that the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency has recorded an estimated 11.25 per cent increase in tree density through sustained plantation drives and public awareness programmes under the ‘Hariyali Lok Sabha Abhiyan’.
“Oxygen Parks have been developed using scientific planning, with native tree species selected after considering local climate, soil quality, groundwater conditions and biodiversity. Several sites have been created using the Miyawaki method and dense plantation techniques to promote faster tree growth, greater carbon dioxide absorption and higher oxygen generation while supporting local ecosystems, including birds, bees and butterflies,” IANS quoted officials as saying.