Opposition blames PMC for saplings wilting post G20

The PMC beautified the city to welcome foreign delegates. We are okay with that but if the civic body maintains this infrastructure, it will help the city remain green and local citizens too will appreciate it, opposition leaders said

PUNE : The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is getting flak for turning a blind eye towards the many saplings and flower beds used to beautify the city roads, flyovers and dividers ahead of the recently concluded G20 Summit. The civic body is being criticised for not watering or maintaining these plants ever since the conclusion of the summit to the extent that they have dried-up, more so with the rising mercury levels.

The civic body is being criticised for not watering or maintaining these plants. (HT PHOTO)

Head of the urban cell of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Nitin Kadam, raised the issue and said, “As many plants have started drying, we hired a tanker and watered them. We even raised the issue of watering the plants with the garden department of the PMC.”

“The PMC beautified the city to welcome foreign delegates. We are okay with that but if the civic body maintains this infrastructure, it will help the city remain green and local citizens too will appreciate it,” Kadam said. He added that they watered the newly-planted flora on Shankar Sheth road.

Meanwhile, head of the garden department, PMC, Ashok Ghorpade, said, “After getting the complaint, I visited various road sites and found that the saplings are drying-up. The building permission department planted these trees under corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is the responsibility of private persons to maintain them. I spoke with the concerned private groups and requested them to regularly water these plants and they accepted my request. We will ensure that all saplings on dividers are watered regularly.”