‘1.1mn saplings to be planted in Ggm’
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has chalked out a comprehensive plan to increase the greenery across the city by planting 1 million shrubs and 100,000 tree saplings of different species over one year, said the officials on Sunday.
According to the plan for the coming year, the GMDA’s urban forest wing plans to use ‘Miyawaki’ model to carry out the intensive plantation along the central verges of major roads, green belts along expressways, open spaces along drains, and vacant plots of land owned by the GMDA and the MCG.
The GMDA also plans to work in collaboration with the MCG to expand the green cover and to cut down on the rising pollution and dust in the city, according to the authority officials.
Subash Yadav, additional CEO of GMDA and in-charge of urban forest division, said that most roads in the city come in the jurisdiction of the authority, and that they will use the space available on central verges, and land available in green belts along these roads to boost the green cover.
“We plan to plant 1,000,000 shrubs and 100,000 trees across the city. This could be done on road sides, central verges, along stormwater drains, and other open spaces and land available. We will also focus on ensuring the survival of earlier plantations and use of recycled water, and for that, lateral pipelines will be laid,” Yadav said.
The GMDA officials also said that in this exercise, 500 shrubs and 100 trees were planted on March 21 this year on World Forestry Day, along the green belt of Sector 44. “The plan is to carry out plantations on a large scale in Palam Vihar, along railway track, and on MCG land. We will carry out plantations along Legs one and three stormwater drains — wherever any land is available,” said Yadav, adding that the authority focuses on planting native plants and shrubs, which can survive harsh conditions.
The authority will also identify vacant spaces along the Kundli–Manesar–Palwal (KMP) Expressway, Dwarka Expressway, and Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) to plant the saplings and shrubs for an increase in the city’s green cover, said the officials. The GMDA, in collaboration with the MCG, is also likely to plant saplings and shrubs in gram panchayat land recently transferred to the MCG, and at community centres, schools, parks and other spaces under the civic agency’s jurisdiction.
As part of this exercise, earlier, the authority also planted trees at vacant spaces at its sewage treatment plants in Dhanwapur and Berhampur, water treatment plants in Basai and Chandu Budhera among other such areas.