Vadodara Congress continue their campaign against the irregularities in plots allotted for afforestation

Instead of planting trees in the plots allotted for afforestation years ago by the Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan, the organisations are using them for other purposes. The city Congress has launched a campaign against the misuse of the plots. On Friday the Congress staged a demonstration at the Giants Darpan Anand Ashram, Ajwa road near the office of Ward No. 9, exposing the illegal encroachment. The city Congress president and the Leader of Opposition demanded that a garden be built in the plot and opened to the public.

The open lands of Green Belt Open Space were allotted to voluntary organizations for afforestation by Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan years ago. Plots of voluntary organizations were allotted by the corporation to them with a good purpose, but it never looked back for what purpose were the plots used after allotment. The result was that concrete forests were built instead of trees planted by plot-taking organizations.

The epidemic of corona caused a shortage of oxygen. It was then that the importance of trees providing free oxygen was realized. An exercise was undertaken by the corporation to give valuable plots owned by them so that more trees could be grown.

The ruling BJP has put a brake on allotment of new plots for afforestation, after the Congress show the status of 46 plots allotted years ago against the corporation's action to allot plots for afforestation.

It has been alleged by the Congress that so far 46 plots have been allotted to various organizations by the rulers of the corporation. The plots have been closed instead of being open for public use and are being used only by institutions. And some organizations have created income by renting space.

The agitation has been going on for the last three days by the city congress to expose the irregularities in the plots allotted for afforestation by the corporation years ago. In which they protested at a plot allotted in the name of a Member of Parliament in the Sama area. Later on Friday at Ajwa Road Giants Darpan Anand Ashram, Congress members including city president Prashant Patel and opposition leader Ami Rawat, Jago Brahmbhatt protested against non use of plot for the said purpose.

Leader of Opposition Ami Rawat said that near Ajwa Road Ward No. 9 office, there is a plot of 1787 square meters and was given to the organization to create a garden. But, paver blocks have been put instead of garden. The organization has built a mobile compound of the plot and locked it up. They demand that the construction work in this plot be removed and a garden be created in this plot and opened to the local people.