The Maharashtra Government has decided to cover 2,226 villages under its eco-village programme by allocating Rs 275 crore.

Since October 2010 the programme for environment protection is being implemented by the Rural Development Department.

Of the 27,920 villages in the State, the eco-village programme is being implemented in 6,835 villages.

Under the programme, villages are given funds to plant trees, eradicate open defecation, ensure that solid waste is disposed of properly and promote use of non-conventional sources of energy such as solar, wind and biogas.

Villages with 10,000 people and above receive a grant of Rs 10 lakh from the State under the programme. Villages with a population between 7,000 and 10,000 and those between 5,000 and 7,000 population get get Rs 7 lakh and Rs 5 lakh a year, respectively. For a village to be included in the programme, it needs to have trees equal to the number of residents. Further, about 60 per cent of the families should have access to properly constructed toilets.

In the first phase, Pune, Kolhapur, Thane and Raigad districts are being covered. The programme is especially targeted at highly polluted villages having a population of more than10,000.

A senior Department official said that of all the districts in the State, Pune has taken the lead in implementing the programme. About 1,000 village panchayats in the district have ensured that about 60 per cent of trees planted in the last two years have survived. Villagers are also avoiding using plastic bags of less than 50 microns.

However, the task of converting 50 per cent of the street lights in villages to CFL is a challenge. In many villages the light poles are defunct or malfunctioning. At times CFL bulbs fuse due to voltage fluctuations, the official said.

>rahulw@thehindu.co.in

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