CHENNAI: In a bid to create green spaces in the city, the Chennai Corporation set up a Miyawaki forest in Madambakkam on Monday. On the first day, around 500 native saplings were planted in the area spread across 33 acres.
“Back in 1946, one RM Alagappa Chettiyar donated his lands in Madambakkam to the city corporation. While a hospital for leprosy patients was built on one part of the land and inaugurated by former CM J Jayalalithaa in 2016, the rest remained vacant,” said a civic body official. As encroachers started to occupy the land, the corporation took the call to plant 10,000 trees at a cost of `40 lakh.
The variety of trees include mango, fig, jackfruit, plantain, gooseberry, lemon, pomegranate and guava. Shrubs and creepers will also be planted for beautification. “The reason for choosing native trees is that they will grow in a self-sufficient way,” added the official. The Corporation previously set up two Miyawaki forests at Kotturpuram and Valasaravakkam.