Actor terms Maha's plantation drive 'eyewash', minister hits

Veteran actor and environment enthusiast Sayaji Shinde on Sunday criticised the Maharashtra government, calling its drive of planting 33 crore saplings across the state as merely an "eyewash".

He said despite the large-scale plantation drive and spending crores of rupees on the exercise, the government was not taking enough steps to ensure survival of the saplings planted earlier.

However, state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar hit back saying Shinde must have made the remarks out of "ignorance" as he may not have exact information about the drive.

Mungantiwar also said that such a noble cause aimed at increasing the state's green cover should not be demeaned and people involved in it should not be demoralised.

Shinde said, "I have serious doubts about the actual results of this drive going on every year, even as the number of saplings (being planted) has been swelling. I had warned Mungantiwar in the very first year that his ambitious project should not end up with plantation of new saplings in the same ditch every year."