PMC, forest dept to develop 35-acre urban forest in Warje Malwadi

PUNE The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the forest department will jointly develop a 35-acre urban forest at Dukkar Khind in Warje Malwadi, which has been named ‘Sanjeevan Udyan’ and will house numerous rare species of medicinal plants and herbs

PUNE The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the forest department will jointly develop a 35-acre urban forest at Dukkar Khind in Warje Malwadi, which has been named ‘Sanjeevan Udyan’ and will house numerous rare species of medicinal plants and herbs.

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Laying the foundation of the forest, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that the place will be developed as an oxygen park for citizens.

This is the second such urban forest in Warje after Smriti Van, another urban forest being jointly developed by the state government, union forest ministry, and a local NGO.

Leader of the opposition in the PMC, corporator Deepali Dhumal, said that in the wake of the second wave of Covid-19, several oxygen plants were set up in the city however this one would be permanent and would save the lives of hundreds of citizens.

“There is a need to increase forest cover in the city and this park will fulfil the oxygen needs of residents in the area and city. Both the PMC and forest department will be working jointly to develop the urban forest,” she said.

According to the forest department, Sanjeevan Udyan will also be known as ‘oxygen park’ where landscaping, beautification, pollution control and planting of medicinal herbs and plants will be given top priority. Rahul Patil, deputy conservator of forests for the Pune region, said that the forest department will offer all support, including trees to be planted on a 35-acre land parcel. Meanwhile, Pawar directed the forest department to plan and speed up the planting of trees on hills and open forest lands and urged authorities to give priority to the planting of native trees in the area.

Officials of the forest department said that urban forests are being developed on the lines of the union government’s ambitious programme where these play an important role in the ecology of human habitats in many ways. Apart from beautifying the urban environment, they will benefit such as positively impacting the climate and economy while providing shelter to wildlife as also a recreational area for city dwellers, they said.

Four years ago, under a unique experiment, the Maharashtra forest department joined hands with TERRE Policy, a city-based NGO; Tata Motors; and Persistent Foundation to transform a barren hill into an urban forest named Smriti Van which now boasts over 6,500 adult trees, some of them nearly 25 to 30 feet tall. Not only is this urban forest project helping maintain the ecological balance, but it is also providing citizens with a walkway and place for morning and evening walks. Spanning 25 hectares of urban wasteland in Warje, the forest is home to several species of flora and fauna and is frequented by more than 1,500 nature-lovers daily. The Warje urban forest has become a role model for the rest of the country and was inaugurated by the then environment minister Prakash Javadekar under the ambitious urban forestry programme covering 200 city corporations in the country.