The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, along with 25,000 volunteers and residents of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, has set a Guinness World Record by planting 361,000 saplings in one hour using the Miyawaki afforestation method. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, who is also the MP from Gandhinagar, congratulated all participants and highlighted that this achievement demonstrates significant public participation and meticulous planning in environmental conservation.
The plantation drive was part of a broader Public Plantation Campaign across the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency that resulted in a total of 12.6 million saplings being planted. The breakdown shows 11,593,513 saplings were planted at 404 public sites, while citizens planted over 1.1 million saplings on private premises. The public site plantings were distributed across assembly constituencies as follows: 5,364,504 saplings at 186 locations in Sanand, 1,809,850 saplings at 97 locations in Gandhinagar North, 1,664,675 saplings at 77 locations in Kalol, 832,370 saplings at 18 locations in Ghatlodia, 1,754,000 saplings at 10 locations in Vejalpur, and 82,314 saplings at 6 locations in Sabarmati.
Shah emphasized that this initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign and vision of "Progress with Nature" and sustainable development. The Gandhinagar constituency has implemented various environmental conservation measures including developing oxygen parks, large-scale tree plantation, and restoration of ponds. The Home Minister noted that environmental conservation has transformed into a people's movement and appealed to citizens to not only plant trees but also take responsibility for nurturing and protecting the saplings, ensuring a clean, green, and ecologically balanced environment for future generations.