The Varanasi Municipal Corporation planted more than 2.5 lakh saplings in less than one hour on Sunday, with the participation of more than 20,000 citizens.
Officials claimed that this has also been recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. “Varanasi has created a new benchmark by planting 2.5 lakh trees in just one hour resulting in a Guinness world record,” Varanasi Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said in a post on X.
The commissioner further said that apart from this, arrangements have been made for the survival and irrigation of these plants. This will be taken a step further, turning it into an “urban forest park” with a “meditation plaza,” he said.
Officials said this was a “historic initiative” with widespread public participation in the massive campaign. With this, the VMC has broken the previous world record of 1.53 lakh saplings planted in one hour, which was held by China, they added.
The planned urban forest will “enhance biodiversity, strengthen the bank of the Ganges, and improve the ecological balance,” officials said.
With this, the municipal corporation is also expected to generate annual revenue of approx $2 crore, which can increase to $7 crores by the seventh year.
The urban forest park will be called ‘Namo Van’, since it is being developed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, PTI reported. It will be spread over 350 bigha of land near the ghats in Domari district.
Under this project, a total of 3,000 seedlings will be planted, of which 2.5,000 seedlings planted today are Miyawaki-style seedlings. Apart from this, 10,000 timber trees and 40,000 fruit trees will also be planted, officials told PTI. The project will include a 4-km walking track, a neuro-yoga arena, a 4-hectare flower garden, a 2-hectare herb garden, a children’s play area and a gymnasium.
