Delhi Environment, Forest and Wildlife Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha jointly led a large-scale plantation drive at the PBG Ground in the Delhi Ridge on 17 July, mobilising senior police officers in a coordinated green initiative targeting the restoration of the capital's ecological spine.

Scale of the Campaign

The drive is part of Delhi's most ambitious greening exercise to date, with a city-wide target of planting 70 lakh trees and saplings this year. Of these, 15 lakh trees and saplings are earmarked specifically for the Ridge and other identified green zones, aimed at reinforcing Delhi's ecological balance.

Minister Sirsa described the campaign as inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' — a programme that frames environmental responsibility as a tribute to mothers. The Delhi government has also drawn its eco-restoration mandate from the vision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, according to official statements.

Scientific Monitoring and Long-Term Strategy

Every sapling planted under the campaign is being geo-tagged to enable scientific tracking and ensure long-term survival — a departure from earlier plantation drives that critics noted often lacked post-planting accountability. Sirsa said, 'Inspired by the vision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, we are ensuring that every tree planted is scientifically monitored through geo-tagging and nurtured for the long term. We are creating a sustainable green legacy for future generations, not just increasing plantation numbers.'

The Delhi government has also prepared a comprehensive 10-year plantation strategy focused on native species — selected for their higher oxygen output, greater shade cover, lower water requirement, and pollution-reduction capacity.

Broad Societal Participation

The campaign has drawn participation from across civil society, including members of the judiciary, diplomats from over 70 countries, educational institutions, religious organisations, and citizen groups. Officials described this as part of the government's effort to convert environmental protection into a mass people's movement rather than a top-down directive.

Sirsa also invoked the teachings of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, quoting from the Guru Granth Sahib: 'Pavan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat' — meaning air is like a Guru, water is like a father, and the earth is our mother. He framed tree plantation as an act of spiritual and civic duty.

Garbage Mountain Elimination Drive

Alongside the plantation push, Sirsa highlighted the Delhi government's parallel mission to dismantle the capital's longstanding garbage mountains — describing it as one of the largest environmental restoration exercises undertaken in the city's history. Both initiatives together, officials said, represent a twin-track approach to reversing decades of environmental degradation in New Delhi.

With geo-tagging infrastructure now in place and a 10-year roadmap formalised, the administration's next test will be sustaining sapling survival rates — the metric that has historically separated credible plantation programmes from headline-driven exercises.