Maharashtra: MMRC to develop Miyawaki forest in Goregaon

An MMRC statement released on Wednesday said the drive will involve the plantation of 9,000 saplings of various indigenous species

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which is executing the 33.5km-long underground Metro-3 corridor, has entered into an agreement with the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) for compensatory plantation using the Miyawaki method on a 3,000sqm plot near Inorbit Mall, Goregaon (West).

Representational image. (Getty Images)

An MMRC statement released on Wednesday said the drive will involve the plantation of 9,000 saplings of various indigenous species such as Kath, Neem, Amla, Bakul, Sita Ashok, Chinch, Arjun, Badam, etc. over a period of three months. FDCM will maintain the plantation for the next two years.

Ranjit Singh Deol, managing director, MMRC, said, “We are pleased to initiate this huge plantation drive along with FDCM using the Miyawaki method to create a dense forest in a short span of time to safeguard our environment – adhering to our green policy.”

The Miyawaki method, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, aims at planting dozens of native species in the same area which leads to an increase in growth rate and density of the plantation. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also decided to plant over 213,000 trees at 40 locations using the Miyawaki method as part of its urban forest project launched on January 26, 2020.