BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagra Palike (BBMP) has finally sprung into action and is planting trees across the city two years after they decided to go ahead with the project. The civic agency had earmarked Rs 5 crore in the 2019-2020 budget for plantation of trees in all the eight zones. The plan was to plant 1 lakh trees and so far, 75,000 saplings have been procured from nurseries.
Among the 75,000 trees, 21,600 trees have already been planted in the Yelahanka zone, RR Nagar, Bommanahalli, West and South Zone. “The tree plantation started from the month of June. We are yet to get permission for the other three zones - Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli and East zone. Spots which lacked greenery were marked for planting of the trees,” he said, adding that with the monsoon having set in, the trees will get the required water. “We will monitor them as well,” said a BBMP forest cell official.
In the Yelahanka, RR Nagar and Bommanahalli zones, a total of 15,000 trees are to be planted, out of which 6,900 trees have been planted in in Yelahanka, 5,400 in RR Nagar and 1,200 in Bommanahalli. While the total number of trees to be planted in South and West zones is 5,000, the south has 4,200 plants while the west has 4,000.
“We are going to continue the plantation drive and will keep increasing the number. In addition to this, tree guards are also being put around the saplings to ensure that it is not affected by any factor,” added the official.It was revealed that flowering tea plants, fruiting plants, indigenous varieties and medicinal plants are being cultivated. Some of the residents also joined hands with the BBMP to carry out this drive. “The BBMP forest team did a good job by planting trees.
They were active and were on their toes. Further, we also helped them with planting the saplings and chose the places which required them. Even tree guards have been used,” said Niveditha Sunkad, resident of RR Nagar. Shalini Y from Yelahanka is glad to have some greenery in her area. “This area has a lot of pollution, so it’s a relief to have some greenery. I just hope that they don’t stop. They should ensure that complete the drive,” said Shalini.