GMDA to develop green belts along 300km of roads

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority is planning to develop green belts along 300 kilometres of its road network in the city over the next three years, officials said on Thursday

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority is planning to develop green belts along 300 kilometres of its road network in the city over the next three years, officials said on Thursday. The focus in this fiscal is on 100 kilometres and groundwork of fencing, digging of soil and adding fertilizers has started on a few stretches, they said.

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Subhash Yadav, the divisional forest officer and head of urban environment division, GMDA, said, “During the 8th authority meeting held with the chief minister in April, we had calculated that the total road connectivity in areas under GMDA’s jurisdiction adds up to around 300 kilometres and green belts can be developed along these roads. Based on that, we started the groundwork of installing fences so that the plants are not destroyed and protected from encroachment. During the monsoon season, we will be planting saplings and aim to cover 100 kilometres in the first phase.”

He said that work is underway on two stretches, the one from Sector 44 to Netaji Subhash Road and another from Huda City Centre to Sector 54.

The official said that pipelines are being laid to ensure that watering is done only using recycled water. The method of irrigation will be brought to drip irrigations in a phased manner. The authority is also focusing on increasing the use of treated water. At present, around 20 million litres per day of treated water is used, with GMDA aiming to increase its use to 100 million litres per day.

Forest department to plant 1 million trees this monsoon

As a part of their routine pre-monsoon plantation drive, the district forest department has set a target of planting 1 million saplings this year with the help of panchayats, schools and other departments, officials said on Thursday.

Ranbir Singh, the divisional forest officer of Gurugram said the estimate was decided upon after a prediction of a good monsoon this year. “We have decided that five lakh (500,000) saplings will be planted this year by the forest department and the rest will be planted with the help of different communities. Last year, we were not able to plant the required number of saplings as schools were closed due to Covid-19. But this year, we will be taking the help of gram panchayats and other departments to ensure that all saplings are planted,” said Singh.

He said that the saplings are being prepared in nine nurseries of the district where the plant length ranges from two feet to six feet. Plant species like neem, Sheesham, Arjuna, and plants of fruit trees are being given priority. The official said that plants taller than four feet will be planted in forest areas identified by the department, while smaller ones will be distributed to the public.