Akhilesh calls UP government's massive plantation drive a 'corruption programme'

Lucknow, Jul 12 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged that the BJP government's mega tree plantation campaign in Uttar Pradesh was a "corruption programme" aimed at siphoning off public funds rather than genuinely protecting the environment. In a statement, Yadav claimed that the BJP's target of planting 35 crore saplings was part of a "secret plan" to earn at least Rs 10 from each sapling, amounting to Rs 350 crore. "For the BJP, the tree plantation drive is actually a 'corruption plantation' programme," he alleged. Yadav further accused the BJP government of widespread corruption across various departments, claiming that government schemes were crafted to facilitate graft. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a state-wide campaign to plant 35 crore saplings. Yadav claimed that over the past ten years, trees had been planted only "on paper," and that real trees were not visible on the ground. Even where saplings were planted, they often dried up due to a lack of maintenance and watering, he alleged. Yadav further alleged that every year the government launches a fresh plantation campaign only to divert budgetary funds, after which the programme is forgotten, and neither the trees nor the environment receives any attention. He also accused the government of failing to prevent the illegal felling of trees and forests in the state. Moreover, Yadav criticised the government for not fulfilling its promise to clean rivers, claiming that funds allocated for this purpose were lost to corruption. Yadav alleged that neither the Ganga nor its tributaries had been adequately cleaned, while the Yamuna remained heavily polluted. He claimed that several rivers in the state were struggling to survive. Highlighting the achievements of the previous Samajwadi Party government, Yadav noted that the Gomti river was cleaned during his tenure, and the Gomti riverfront project in Lucknow was developed as a model for river rejuvenation. He alleged that the current BJP government subsequently "ruined" this riverfront project. PTI ABN MPL MPL