{"id":54078,"date":"2025-10-29T18:31:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/?p=54078"},"modified":"2025-10-29T18:31:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:01:25","slug":"reining-in-20-years-of-negligence-by-previous-governments-aap-government-expands-punjabs-tree-cover-by-177-22-sq-km","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/punjab\/reining-in-20-years-of-negligence-by-previous-governments-aap-government-expands-punjabs-tree-cover-by-177-22-sq-km\/","title":{"rendered":"Reining in 20 years of negligence by previous governments, AAP Government expands Punjab\u2019s tree cover by 177.22 sq km"},"content":{"rendered":"

Punjab E News:<\/span> The Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government has made environmental protection one of its key governance missions in Punjab. Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann\u2019s leadership, the state has witnessed historic progress in greening efforts over the past two years. In 2023\u201324 alone, the government planted a record 1.2 crore (12 million) saplings, while setting an ambitious target of 3 crore (30 million) trees for 2024\u201325. What began as a government initiative has now turned into a people\u2019s movement \u2014 a \u201cgreen revolution\u201d that\u2019s reaching villages, schools, religious places, and cities alike, truly embodying the spirit of \u201cHar Ghar Bagicha\u201d (a garden in every home).<\/p>\n

This initiative was much needed for Punjab, as the state\u2019s forest area had been consistently declining over the past two decades. According to a central government report, between 2001 and 2023, Punjab\u2019s forest cover dropped from 4.80% to 3.67%, and tree cover declined from 3.20% to 2.92%. In other words, the state lost 1.13% forest area and 0.28% tree cover in 22 years \u2014 clear evidence of how the Congress and Akali Dal governments completely failed to protect the environment. Campaigns like \u201cGreening Punjab Mission\u201d existed only on paper, while results on the ground were almost zero.<\/p>\n

The Akali government had claimed in 2012 that it would plant 40 crore (400 million) trees by 2020 at a cost of \u20b91,900 crore. However, in reality, only 5 crore (50 million) trees were planted, and merely 25\u201330% of those survived. This colossal failure exposed that the previous governments\u2019 intentions were not about environmental protection but about publicity and profiteering. Massive advertisements were issued in the name of plantation drives, yet there was no monitoring or maintenance system in place.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, indiscriminate tree cutting further choked Punjab\u2019s air. Between 2010 and 2020, 8 to 9 lakh trees were felled in the name of \u201cdevelopment projects.\u201d Alone in 2013\u201314, 2 lakh, in 2014\u201315, 2.12 lakh, and in 2010\u201311, 1.5 lakh trees were cut down. The situation worsened under the Congress government, when then Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot was arrested in a forest scam. According to vigilance reports, he took \u20b9500 bribes per felled kher tree and collected \u20b910\u201320 lakh per officer transfer. This exposed how previous regimes turned Punjab\u2019s greenery into a tool of corruption.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the Mann government brought major reforms by implementing the Tree Preservation Policy (2024). This policy ensures protection of trees even on non-forest and government land \u2014 no tree can now be cut without permission. It not only safeguards trees but grants them a form of legal \u201cright to life.\u201d Moreover, compensatory afforestation has been made mandatory for every development project. In 2023\u201324, plantation was carried out on 940.384 hectares under this provision \u2014 a solid indicator of Punjab\u2019s environmental recovery.<\/p>\n

These efforts have already begun showing tangible results. According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, Punjab\u2019s tree cover has increased by 177.22 square kilometers, marking the largest growth in 15 years. This isn\u2019t just a number \u2014 it reflects how, under CM Bhagwant Mann\u2019s leadership, every citizen has become a partner in protecting the environment. Punjab is now moving toward a future where development and ecology go hand in hand.<\/p>\n

The Mann government has also intertwined this mission with Punjab\u2019s spiritual and cultural ethos. Inspired by the teachings of Gurbani \u2014 \u201cPavan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat\u201d \u2014 the state has launched initiatives like \u2018Nanak Bagichis\u2019 and \u2018Sacred Forests\u2019. So far, 105 Nanak Bagichis and 268 Sacred Forests have been established. These green spaces not only enhance oxygen levels but also serve as \u201cgreen lungs\u201d for urban areas. Similarly, under the \u2018Punjab Hariyali Lehar\u2019 campaign, 28.99 lakh trees have been planted near 3.95 lakh tubewells, making farmers active contributors to this green revolution.<\/p>\n

On the global front, the Mann government has partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on a \u20b9792.88 crore project aiming to increase Punjab\u2019s forest area to 7.5% by 2030. This five-year initiative (2025\u201326 onwards) will not only enhance greenery but also create thousands of new jobs. Through such bold steps, Punjab has emerged as a leading state in environmental conservation across India.<\/p>\n

Today, Punjab is witnessing a new green revolution. The trees that were once lost to negligence are being revived. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann\u2019s message is loud and clear \u2014 \u201cTrees are the lungs of Punjab; protecting them is the duty of every Punjabi.\u201d The greenery destroyed by the corrupt regimes of the past is now being reborn under an honest and visionary government. The new Punjab is not just self-reliant in agriculture, but also in sustainability \u2014 truly, a \u201cRangla, Hariyala Punjab.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Punjab E News: The Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government has made environmental protection one of its key governance missions in Punjab. Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann\u2019s leadership, the state has witnessed historic progress in greening efforts over the past two years. In 2023\u201324 alone, the government planted a record 1.2 crore (12 million) saplings, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":54079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-punjab"],"yoast_head":"\nReining in 20 years of negligence by previous governments, AAP Government expands Punjab\u2019s tree cover by 177.22 sq km - PunjabENews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/punjab\/reining-in-20-years-of-negligence-by-previous-governments-aap-government-expands-punjabs-tree-cover-by-177-22-sq-km\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reining in 20 years of negligence by previous governments, AAP Government expands Punjab\u2019s tree cover by 177.22 sq km - PunjabENews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Punjab E News: The Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government has made environmental protection one of its key governance missions in Punjab. 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