Varanasi sets new Guinness World Record for planting 2.5 lakh trees in one hour

In a massive tree planting drive held in the Sujabad Domri area on Sunday Varanasi created a new world record by planting over 251 lakh trees in a single hour The feat surpasses an eightyearold record held by China officials saidGuinness World Records judge Rishi Nath presented the official certificate to Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal following the eventCivic body officials said a Guinness World Records team arrived in Domri on Sunday morning to document the process This new urban forest covers 350 acres of land and was developed through the coordination of the Varanasi Municipal Corporation along with various social and government organisationsAccording to the officials the previous record was made on March 10 2018 by the Henan Provincial Committee of China and the Henan Shifanghe Greening Engineering Company with 153 lakh trees planted in an hourThe plantation drive in Varanasi was monitored by Rishi Nath and world record strategist Nischal Barot The final count confirmed using drone cameras and digital counting systems before the official announcement was madeThe layout of the forest is divided into 60 sectors each named after the famous Ganga Ghats of Kashi including Dashashwamedh Lalita Ghat Naya Ghat Manikarnika Ghat Kedar Ghat Chausatti Ghat Man Mandir Ghat and Sheetla Ghat Each sectors has over 4000 saplingsThe project prioritises 27 native species such as Sheesham Arjun Teak and Bamboo It also includes fruit trees like Mango Guava and Papaya and medicinal plants like Ashwagandha Shatavari and GiloyThe drive saw largescale participation from the Indian Armys 39 GTC 34 GTC 39 GR and 137 CFTF TA Personnel from the NDRF CRPF Civil Defence and the Uttar Pradesh Polices PAC battalions also participated in the driveTechnical management was handled by Namami Gange the state forest and agriculture departments while thousands of students and NCC cadets and NSS volunteers turned the event into a mass movementTo ensure the survival of the saplings a 10827meter pipeline has been laid in the forest area Irrigation is supported by 10 borewells and 360 rain gun systems to minimise water wastageOfficials said the Miyawaki technique developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki was used to ensure the forest grows ten times faster than normal aiming to create a dense cover within three yearsThe project is also expected to generate revenue for the municipal corporation Under an agreement with the MBK organisation of Madhya Pradesh the corporation would start earning Rs 2 crore from the third year which could go up to Rs 7 crore annually by the seventh yearMayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari said the achievement inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proves that Kashi is ready to lead on global environmental issues while preserving its traditionsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever