NDMC to give green lessons

You have always appreciated the urban landscape and the ageing yet beautiful trees in the NDMC area. Now, there’s a chance to learn a trade secret or two from the very people who maintain the green vistas.

You have always appreciated the urban landscape and the ageing yet beautiful trees in the NDMC area. Now, there’s a chance to learn a trade secret or two from the very people who maintain the green vistas.

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The civic body’s rich green reserves of tree and plants cover 1,250 acres with approximately 95,000 trees.

Its repertory includes Lodhi Garden, Nehru Park and Talkatora Garden, around 50 roundabouts, greens around Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament House not to mention avenue trees and green strips along the 137 roads and lanes in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) jurisdiction.

The 'School of Gardening' would start from next month, almost a year after it was first announced. Although no date has been fixed yet, the school is likely start from third week of February.

For starters, the courses — one or two weeklong certificate course — would be held for the civic body's own gardeners and horticulture department staff. Members of the public too would be allowed to participate in the courses but at a later time.

"The theoretical classes would be held at a room at the NDMC's Purana Qila

Nursery while for practical course, the candidates would be taken to actual sites, for instance, they would be taken to Herbal Garden for studying medicinal plants," said Subhash Chandra, NDMC director (horticulture).

To start with, the civic body plans to create a pool of resource persons by drawing faculty members from nationally acclaimed academic institutions such as Indian Agriculture Research Institute and Forest Research Institute and also from government agencies like Central Public Works Department apart from NGOs.