Delhi Development Authority launches mega plantation drive to boost city’s greenery

The land owning agency will also give Rs 25, 000 every year to Eco clubs in schools for maintenance and preservation of plants that they bed in.

For representational purposes

NEW DELHI: In a bit to boost greenery, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has launched a tree plantation drive across the national capital. It has set sights on planting 4 lakh species such as neem, peepal, bargad, gulmohar, amaltas, pilkhan, kachnar, jamun, sheesham, arjun, and belpatra, among several others. The project was launched on July 20.

The land owning agency will also give Rs 25, 000 every year to Eco clubs in schools for maintenance and preservation of plants that they bed in.

A senior official of the authority said that saplings would be planted in parks, biodiversity parks, green belts, along several stretches and Yamuna riverbed. It has planned to rope in residents’ welfare associations, social organizations and Eco clubs for implementing the project. “The involvement of schoolchildren in the plantation drive will help create awareness and sensitise students on the importance of trees and their role in environment conservation,” the official said.

Each Eco club will be handed 500 seedlings every year. “The students will take care of the plants for next four to five years. There’s a provision in the scheme whereby students can also adopt any tree or plant and can even put their name on them,” the official said.

The DDA will develop the site chosen for the plantation drive. The Eco clubs will also be given Rs 25,000 every year for procurement of gardening tools, compost, cost of transportation and maintenance of planted trees.

“Each Eco club will sign an MoU with DDA for this purpose. Schools not having Eco clubs could also be part of this scheme. The DDA has also propose to involve all RWAs,” the official said.

“Each Eco club will maintain a register on the plantation carried out by them and record survival percentage annually. In this regard, the DDA has directed all schools having Eco clubs to contact DDA’s Nodal Officer to be associated with the drive by selecting the site in the vicinity of their schools,” the DDA said.