New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS): The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on Wednesday launched the 'first-ever' initiative to develop green cover in the Himalayan terrain of Leh-Ladakh by planting bamboo saplings.

The KVIC and the Forest Department of Leh-Ladakh with support from ITBP, planted 1000 bamboo saplings at Chuchot village in Leh over 2.50 lakh square feet of barren forest land that has remained unutilized so far, the commission said in a statement.

The initiative was launched by KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena in the presence of local Councillors, Gram Sarpanch and ITBP officials.

Bamboo saplings have been planted under Project BOLD (Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought) of KVIC, which is aligned with the Prime Minister's call for preventing desertification, protecting land and environment and ensuring food security.

Project BOLD is a part of "Khadi Bamboo Festival" designed to celebrate "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav".

The bamboo patch in Leh will create a sustainable model of development by supporting local rural and bamboo-based industries, added the statement.

It noted that the bamboo waste can be used in making charcoal and fuel briquettes that will ensure fuel availability during the harsh winters in Leh.

Also, bamboo emits 30 per cent more oxygen than other plants, which is an added advantage in high altitude regions which are always short of oxygen, KVIC asserted.

KVIC chairman Saxena said the experiment of bamboo plantation in Leh was a challenging task given the difficult geographical conditions in the region.

"KVIC has chosen the monsoon season for bamboo plantation in Leh so that the plants get ample time to develop a root system and become hard enough to survive the snowfall and freezing wind in the coming months," Saxena said, adding that if even 50 to 60 per cent of the bamboos survived, KVIC would carry out bamboo plantation on a large scale in the Leh-Ladakh region next year.