Noida to spend ₹22 crore to increase green cover in 2018

The Noida Authority will plant saplings of neem, pilkhan, jamun, arjun and champa at various places under its jurisdiction.

The Noida Authority has set a budget of ₹22 crore for a massive plantation drive initiated by the state government to increase green cover. It aims to plant four lakh saplings by November 2018. The authority, on Sunday, said it has decided to plant as many as 84,725 saplings on August 15 at different locations to celebrate Independence Day.

Residents of Sector 50 and Noida Authority staff at a plantation drive in B Block on Sunday. (HT Photo)

The authority will plant saplings of neem, pilkhan, jamun, arjun and champa, among others, at various places in sectors 37, 44, 56, 60, 62, 63, 74, 122, 123, 115, 144, 145, 150, 166, 167, 137 and other parts of the town, including under the elevated track of Noida-Greater Noida Metro link.

“If we want to mitigate the affect of air pollution, increasing green cover is crucial. We have also filled soil in the dividers under the existing Metro track as well as the city’s 4.8km elevated road with the aim to plant saplings,” Rajiv Tyagi, general manager, Noida authority, said.

The authority has sought the participation of residents’ welfare associations, social activists, schools, retired army officer groups, youth groups and professionals, under the campaign ‘plant and adopt a tree’.

The UP government plans to plant nine crore saplings across the state this Independence Day. “We have already planted around 70,000 trees. 84,725 will be planted on August 15. And if a tree does not survive, the contractor is bound to replace it with a new sapling. The contractor will look after the plants for the first two years,” Tyagi said.