Karnataka - Mysore   

Green Mysore project threatens to fizzle out after much fanfare

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

How green will it be? Mysore’s green cover may be a thing of the past if saplings are not planted soon.

MYSORE: The much-publicised Green Mysore project, jointly conceived by the Forest Department and the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), has fizzled out even before it could start for paucity of funds.

The project entailed planting saplings throughout the city and in vacant spaces for which a five-year plan from 2004-05 to 2009-10 was prepared by the two departments. It envisaged a total expenditure of Rs. 128.04 lakh. The estimated cost for 2005-06 was Rs. 26.63 lakh and Rs. 50.98 lakh for 2006-07 and Rs. 27.80 lakh for 2007-08. But so far, the authorities have spent only Rs.14 lakh and the maintenance of saplings planted with much fanfare, was done only during the year of the launch.

While the Forest Department repeatedly beseeched the MUDA and the district administration to release funds, the latest being a letter dated December 6, 2007, urging the Deputy Commissioner to release Rs.10 lakh to take up conservation works pertaining to the Green Mysore project, there has been no response.

Interestingly, the MUDA claimed that it had earmarked Rs. 50 lakh for tree plantation for 2006-07 and hence the authorities urged the Forest Department to take up tree plantation with an assurance that the funds would be released to the Forest Department.

This has been recorded in the minutes of the meeting held on April 24, 2006, but despite repeated requests to the MUDA there has been a deafening silence on their part, according to Forest Department officials.

Meanwhile, the project which envisaged planting around 100,000 saplings risks fizzling out as there are no saplings in the Forest Department nurseries for the year 2008.

“The existing saplings will suffice to replace the ones lost due to natural conditions but there are no additional saplings that can be spared for the Green Mysore project. What is more, there is an acute shortage of saplings in all the nurseries and if no action plan is initiated at this juncture, the project may have to be disbanded altogether or taken up in bits and pieces as and when the saplings are available,” said sources.

It may be recalled that the Green Mysore project entailing planting one lakh saplings was taken up at the behest of the former MLA and the then Mysore district in-charge Minister G.T. Devegowda and was launched by Salumarada Thimmakka. Sources pointed out that in all, 37,000 saplings have been planted under the project but efforts to procure the remaining 63,000 saplings from other centres, including Kollegal, Bangalore, Kolar, Hassan and Madikere, has failed as each of these nurseries have to cater to the local requirements where similar greening projects have been taken up.

“While the Forest Department takes the flak for erosion of greenery, none of the departments evince interest in cooperating with us at the time of planning or implementation. Though Mysore is set for rapid expansion, the MUDA has not thought it fit to include representatives from the Forest Department in its meetings,” said officials.

The Deputy Conservator of Forests wrote a letter to the MUDA chairman drawing his attention to the pending work pertaining to Green Mysore project on June 23, 2007, in which the details pertaining to the amount of funds required to nurture various saplings of different sizes during the year 2008, was mentioned.

The estimated cost for nurturing the saplings and preparing them for plantation during 2008 was around Rs. 19.75 lakh, but there has been no reply from the MUDA. In fact, the MUDA owes Rs. 32.76 lakh to the Forest Department for various works that have been completed or is to be completed by the end of the current financial year.

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