New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Delhi government's ambitious plantation drive will transform the Ridge into the "green lungs" of the city, and the environment in the National Capital will get a "new lease of life".This came as HM Shah inaugurated the Delhi government's ambitious drive to plant 70 lakh trees during a 'Mega Tree Plantation Drive' at 34 locations.During this, HM Shah planted a sapling in the Central Ridge area, which houses the President's Bodyguard.Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Lok Sabha MPs Manoj Tiwari and Yogender Chandolia, and Delhi Ministers Parvesh Verma and Manjinder Singh Sirsa were also present during the event.The campaign is supported by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which has set a target of planting around 600 trees and 50,000 shrubs. More than 50,000 planting pits have already been prepared, according to Vice Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal.

Speaking at the event, HM Shah said, "When we move around Delhi, the Ridge is visible in many places. Thorny 'babool' and various types of poisonous trees can be seen on the Ridge; visually, they create the impression of a 'Green Delhi' but are not good for the environment."The Home Minister mentioned that 7,784 hectares of the Ridge were notified under the Indian Forest Act in 1994. "However, the final notification has not been issued in 30 years," he said.Congratulating the Rekha Gupta government, Shah said. "Now, 5,000 hectares of the Ridge have been designated as forest area. We will once again ensure that the entire Ridge receives legal protection. Through this initiative, we aim to restore the Ridge's biodiversity, conserve its soil and water resources, and give Delhi's environment a new lease of life.""Over the next three years, we will gradually plant trees across the entire Ridge, including 'peepal', 'banyan', 'neem', 'gular', 'arjun', and 'jamun' trees that can survive for more than 100 years. With this effort, we have begun the mission of transforming the Ridge into the green lungs of Delhi," he added.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative, Shah called it a "remarkable experiment in environmental balance for our country".According to NDMC Vice Chairperson Chahal, under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam – On Sunday' campaign, NDMC has completed 31 consecutive Sunday plantation drives.Highlighting NDMC's environmental achievements, Chahal had said that NDMC at present maintains 1,450 acres of green spaces, including six iconic parks, 122 colony parks, 981 CPWD-maintained parks, 52 school green areas, 51 roundabouts, 14 market gardens and nearly 15,000 avenue trees.Despite covering only about 3 per cent of Delhi's geographical area, NDMC contributes nearly 55 per cent of the Capital's green cover, making it one of the greenest urban local bodies in the country.

/IANS