SAMBALPUR: The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) is planning to carry out a massive plantation drive to increase green cover along the ring road and beautify the area. SMC commissioner Pradeep Sahu said there is a proposal to plant around 8,000 small and 600 big trees along the ring road.
“We have sought approval from the government in this regard and are awaiting a response. We will start the plantation drive immediately after getting the government nod.”
Sources said the small trees, which grow up to three feet, will be planted on the divider of the road. Similarly, the bigger ones like royal palm will be planted on both sides of the road which connects Nelson Mandela Chowk in the city with National Highway-53 at Laxmi Dungri covering a distance of 7.5 km.
The road was constructed in 1997 to protect the city from floods and provide residents with an alternative route from NH-53. A few years back, the road was widened into two-lane by the Public Works Department (PWD) to avoid traffic congestion. In 2019, the road was renamed Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
A lot of development projects are currently underway along the ring road including renovation of the riverfront of Mahanadi Ghat under the SAMALEI scheme and the new SMC office at Durgapali which became operational recently. Besides, hundreds of residents use the road for evening and morning walks. Sources said the plantation drive is expected to prevent erratic dumping of garbage along the road.