'Green cover in UP less due to Maya'

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday attacked his predecessor Mayawati, saying instead of planting trees the BSP government went on erecting statues.

He said the previous government was against trees and felled them wherever it got a chance to erect statues, though figures given by the forest department claimed that crores of saplings were planted during the BSP regime.

Yadav was addressing a function organised at Lohia Park here on the occasion of the World Environment Day.

“If you go through the figures, the department had planted crores of saplings. It had launched a massive record breaking plantation drive. It was decided that 10 crore saplings would be planted, but show me even one crore plants,” he said.

He also mocked the department's claim that crores of trees were planted in Bundelkhand. “When an inquiry was conducted branches of trees were planted to show that there were trees,” the chief minister said.