NDMC gives finishing touch to green project along roads in Delhi

Officials said that the horticultural enhancements are almost concluded and now the focus is on the maintenance and supervision

Ahead of the G20 summit in the city to be held in the second week of September, one of the largest greening efforts in the Lutyens’ Delhi area has been completed after the addition of nearly three million plants, officials of the New Delhi Municipal Council said.

The exercise was initiated nearly a year ago from three nurseries of NDMC — Lodhi Gardens, Madhu Limay Marg and Satya Sadan — from where these plants have been sourced. (HT Archive)

Moreover, plans now are in place to add finishing touches for the summit venues with movable installations, floral fountains and addition of around 100,000 flowerpots, officials from the NDMC horticulture department added. Senior officials also said that plants damaged along 33 avenue roads in the New Delhi area will also be replaced by potted plants.

The exercise was initiated nearly a year ago from three nurseries of NDMC — Lodhi Gardens, Madhu Limay Marg and Satya Sadan — from where these plants have been sourced.

NDMC vice chairperson Satish Upadhyay, who oversaw the preparations at Lodhi Gardens on Tuesday, said that the exercise has involved addition of over 900,000 saplings and 2,000,000 shrubs on avenue roads and roundabouts for which the council has deployed 1,200 workers. “We have also outsourced the work to 200 private workers. A team of 80 trained gardeners was deployed exclusively at the three high-tech nurseries for this purpose,” Upadhyay said.

The 100,000 potted plants at the three nurseries include 83 varieties such as dracaena, Song of India (Dracaena reflexa), hibiscus (Rosa sinensis), champa (Magnolia champaca), areca palm (Dypsis lutescens), rhapis palm (Rhapis excelsa), livistona (Livistona chinensis), acalypha (Acalypha wilkesiana) and aspidistra (Asparagaceae), among others.

“The bulk of this new plant production has been carried out at these nurseries as they provide temperature and climate control features. We are now developing movable installations such as 60 basket racks with wheels where plant installations can be placed near hotels and places without soil. Moreover, 40 floral boards with G20 logos and 24 floral fountains, that will also act as selfie points, will also be added,” an official from the horticulture department said requesting anonymity.

These horticultural enhancements are almost concluded and now the focus is on the maintenance and supervision, the official added.

Upadhayay added that NDMC has floated tenders for future upkeep of these plants along the 41 major avenue roads.