The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Saplings to be planted early this year

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 10, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Saplings to be planted early this year

By Afshan Yasmeen

BANGALORE, MAY 9. Of the 18,900 saplings planted by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) under its "Hasiru Bangaluru" programme in August last year, only about 5,000 have survived.

The Forest Department attributes this to the Mahanagara Palike decision to procure young saplings that could not sustain for long for planting under the programme. Of the 5,000 that have survived, most have withered as they were not watered regularly or have been eaten by cattle as the tree guards installed to protect the saplings were either stolen or had failed to remain in place, according to the Forest Department. These observations have come in the wake of corporators complaining over the poor survival rate of the saplings planted last year. "The Forest Department cannot be blamed for supplying young saplings to the Mahanagara Palike as the order for saplings is placed only a month before they are actually planted. So we have asked the Mahanagara Palike officials to inform us in advance this time," sources in the Forest Department said. "The saplings should be grown in a nursery for at least nine months to one year before they can be planted anywhere. They cannot survive if they are too young or too old. Planting should be completed by May and the saplings should be watered at least twice before the start of the monsoon," the sources said. Corporators from all parties have often complained about the poor survival rate of the saplings planted last year in their wards.

"As the saplings dry up every time they are planted, we use the same place to plant a sapling the next time. We have no details about how many have been planted and how many have survived," the Janata Dal (S) member, B.R. Nanjundappa, and the BJP member, B.S. Satyanarayana, have said.

They also said that the Mahanagara Palike Commissioner, M.R. Sreenivasa Murthy, had promised them that a comprehensive tree census would be carried out before starting planting this year.

When contacted, a senior official in the Horticulture Department of the Mahanagara Palike, told The Hindu that the department had identified over 20,000 spots where saplings could be planted this year. "We placed an order with the department for 10,000 saplings last month," he said. Admitting that there was a delay in planting last year, the official said saplings would be planted early and in a "systematic manner" this year. The Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, said the "Hasiru Bangaluru" programme would be taken up early this year. "I have instructed the officials to complete digging by the end of this month and start planting saplings by the end of next month. We have asked the Forest Department to give us older saplings this time," he said.

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