Ahmedabad, July 12 (IANS) Ahmedabad created a Guinness World Record on Sunday after the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) planted 3.61 lakh saplings using the Miyawaki method within a single hour at Bhadaj locality, marking one of the largest urban tree plantation drives undertaken in the city.

The plantation was carried out across 76,000 square metres of a 91,006-square-metre site near Satvam Heights along the Gota-Godhavi Canal in Bhadaj, in the Thaltej ward of the city’s North-West Zone.

According to the AMC, more than 25,000 volunteers participated in the campaign, helping the civic body achieve the world record.

The event was held in the presence of Union Home Minister and Gandhinagar MP Amit Shah.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Urban Development and Urban Housing Minister Darshana Vaghela, Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, Gujarat Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Das, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani and other public representatives and officials also attended the programme.

The record-setting plantation forms part of a wider afforestation campaign under which a target has been set to plant 1.25 crore trees across the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, while the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has committed to planting 50 lakh trees.

According to the AMC, around 35 indigenous tree species were planted using the Miyawaki method, a technique that creates dense, fast-growing urban forests by planting native species close together.

“The selected species are expected to support biodiversity, improve urban green cover, absorb carbon, help reduce air pollution and contribute to moderating local temperatures as they mature,” officials said.

The drive drew participation from officials and employees of various AMC departments, the AMC School Board, BAPS organisation, CREDAI, police personnel, National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, social organisations and thousands of city residents.

Describing the achievement as a milestone in Ahmedabad’s environmental conservation efforts, the civic body said: “The campaign reflected a broader commitment to expanding green spaces and promoting sustainable urban development. Similar public participation-based plantation initiatives would continue in the coming months to further increase the city’s green cover.”

–IANS

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