Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday launched a massive tree plantation campaign under the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) Mission 5 Million Trees and inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for several development projects in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other dignitaries were present at the event.
Addressing the gathering, HM Shah said more than one crore trees had been planted in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency on a single day, while nearly 50 lakh saplings were planted across Ahmedabad city as part of the campaign. He said the initiative aims to create a greener environment, improve air and water quality and ensure a sustainable future for coming generations.
The Home Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign had rapidly evolved into a nationwide people’s movement, with citizens across the country embracing the vision of balancing development with environmental conservation.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call of ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ has quickly grown into a people’s movement, and the entire nation is embracing his mantra of ‘People, Planet with Progress’,” HM Shah said.
Highlighting the Centre’s environmental initiatives, HM Shah said the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have planted more than seven crore trees across the country over the past seven years. He added that a similar large-scale plantation drive had also been undertaken in Delhi recently.
The Home Minister said only native tree species with a lifespan of over 100 years were being planted under the campaign to ensure long-term ecological benefits.
HM Shah also inaugurated 61 new Oxygen Parks in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, increasing the total number from 12 to 73. In Ahmedabad, the Municipal Corporation inaugurated 101 Oxygen Parks in a single day.
He said the civic body had introduced a dedicated vehicle service to deliver saplings directly to residents wishing to plant trees, describing it as a scientific and citizen-friendly initiative to encourage greater public participation.
Stressing the importance of community involvement, HM Shah said environmental campaigns could succeed only with active public participation. He expressed confidence that the ongoing plantation drive would help reduce Ahmedabad’s temperature by at least five per cent compared with other cities in the coming years.
The Home Minister urged every citizen to plant at least one tree and contribute towards preserving the ozone layer and protecting the environment for future generations.
HM Shah said Sanand, Gandhinagar, Kalol and Ahmedabad have together increased their green cover to 11.23 per cent, with a target of expanding it to 20 per cent by 2029.
The Home Minister also called upon residents to adopt solar energy, noting that the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency already has the highest number of rooftop solar installations among all parliamentary constituencies in the country. He urged citizens to ensure that every house and apartment is equipped with rooftop solar panels.
Alongside the plantation drive, HM Shah inaugurated 22 development projects and laid the foundation stones for seven new projects in Ahmedabad.
He said the induction of 325 new AMTS and BRTS buses would significantly reduce carbon emissions, adding that Ahmedabad would no longer have polluting buses in its public transport fleet after the new additions.
HM Shah said development projects worth ₹28,492 crore have been completed in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency so far. These include projects worth ₹7,030 crore in Ghatlodia, ₹2,670 crore in Vejalpur, ₹2,149 crore in Sabarmati, ₹3,262 crore in Naranpura, ₹2,800 crore in Sanand, ₹4,300 crore in Gandhinagar North and ₹2,003 crore in Kalol.
Concluding his address, the Home Minister appealed to residents of Ahmedabad and the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency to ensure that every neighbourhood, housing society and household contributes to increasing green cover by planting trees, while also embracing rooftop solar installations as part of India’s transition towards a cleaner and more sustainable future.
