Gandhinagar: Gandhinagar Lok Sabha member and Union Home Affairs and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has announced an ambitious plan to transform the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency into a “Green Lok Sabha” through a massive plantation campaign during 2026–27.

During a high-level review meeting in Ahmedabad attended by Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Das and number of IAS officers along with others, Shah reviewed preparations and called for plantation activities on a large scale with greater public participation.

As part of the campaign, a target of planting around 1.03 crore saplings has been set for 2026–27 – a 64% increase from last year’s plantation of approximately 62.85 lakh saplings. The initiative includes identifying residential societies that can accommodate more than 50 trees, increasing greenery in every part of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, and intensifying plantation in GIDC areas to create a more environment-friendly atmosphere for industries and workers. Shah also stressed plantation along road medians and even small open spaces.

The Forest Department will beautify these areas by planting a total of 6000 saplings with unique identities at 18 entry points in Gandhinagar district and 7 in Ahmedabad district. For this, the Panchayat and Revenue Department have planned to create a ‘forest shield’ and provide the necessary land.

Amit Shah Chairs Meeting of Gujarat Officials in Ahmedabad https://t.co/5fsqlGxGEf pic.twitter.com/surMET0bH4

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) May 16, 2026

Multiple plantation techniques, including Miyawaki, dense plantation, linear plantation, boundary plantation and scattered plantation models, will be adopted. Special focus areas include city dump sites, vacant government plots and roadside areas. Public awareness campaigns through social media, selfie points and digital outreach initiatives are also planned. Authorities are additionally preparing an MoU with railway authorities for plantation work in railway areas.

Government departments and civic agencies will play a major role in the drive. The Deputy Conservator of Forests in Ahmedabad is expected to plant over 38.79 lakh saplings, while Gandhinagar’s forest division will plant more than 12.47 lakh. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has been assigned a target of 25 lakh trees, while the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation will plant over 5.42 lakh saplings.

Officials noted that green cover in the Gandhinagar constituency has already increased by 11.25% between 2019 and 2025, adding nearly 2,729 hectares through sustained plantation efforts. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the campaign will also incorporate the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ initiative to boost citizen participation. Free saplings will be distributed to residents of tenements, row houses and bungalows to encourage wider involvement.

In addition, meetings were also held by the Union Home and Cooperation Minister to review the progress made in the modernization of the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, maintenance of lakes, renovation and interconnection works, and the development works of the Mansa and Gandhinagar. DeshGujarat