The Forest Department is planning fresh plantation of about 150,000 saplings and maintenance of existing green cover across Gurugram, officials said on Saturday. As part of the exercise, a ₹40.64 lakh tender was floated on Friday under the all-state maintenance scheme for upkeep of green cover along the Behrampur-to-Sohna corridor.Gurugram to get 150k new saplings under forest department driveAccording to officials privy to the matter, bids have been invited until June 18 for maintenance works, including site-wise irrigation, weeding and protection measures along the 23-km stretch.Tender documents uploaded on the Haryana government website require contractors to ensure a 90% survival rate of plants for two years from the date of work allotment. The plantation programme will involve transportation, planting and maintenance of around 14,000-17,000 saplings across multiple sites in the Gurugram Range.Surender Dangi, divisional forest officer (DFO), said the department is also considering a longer maintenance model to improve outcomes. “Based on government-level decisions, contractors will be penalised through recovery losses if the survival rate is found below 90%. Periodic maintenance checks will be scheduled by the department,” said Dangi.Officials did not disclose the exact plantation sites along the corridor. However, Dangi said, “Long-term plans are likely to increase 150,000 plantations in Aravalis and forest-dense areas through different government initiatives and schemes.”The tender also includes 60,000 weeding and hoeing operations aimed at removing competing vegetation and improving soil aeration around saplings. Other provisions include reopening planting pits measuring around 724 cubic metres, daily hand-watering and irrigation, deployment of protection watchers, and manual transportation of plants to hilly and remote locations.Officials said fresh plantation activities will be undertaken in the coming months. According to a 2024 assessment by the department, around 12.9% of Gurugram’s geographical area is currently under tree cover.