The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD set to expand green cover before 2010 Games

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Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008
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MCD set to expand green cover before 2010 Games

Staff Reporter

It has decided to develop all 16 completely filled sanitary landfill sites into green areas
Civic body has a target of planting over two lakh trees this year, says Garden Committee chairman

NEW DELHI: In keeping with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s aim of expanding the green cover of the Capital ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the civic body has decided to start developing all the 16 completely filled sanitary landfill sites into green areas with trees, ornamental plants and shrubs.

MCD Garden Committee chairman Ved Prakash Gupta on Tuesday said the project would be implemented in phases. In the first phase, five sanitary landfill sites at Hastsal with 9.6 acres, Timarpur with 16 acres, Chattarpur with 4 acres, Gopalpur with 24 acres and Kailash Nagar with 1.8 acres would be developed into beautiful parks and gardens. He informed that the 2.5 acres at the Hastsal sanitary landfill site had already been developed into a park. Mr. Gupta said the MCD had decided to add five canter trucks to the present fleet of 40 trucks and 10 water tankers to the existing fleet of 30 this year.

“Ten tractors for which orders were placed last year would be added to the fleet soon. This would enable the Horticulture Department to improve and maintain more green areas as well as provide ample irrigation facilities in the Capital,” he added.

“The MCD has a target of planting over two lakh trees this year of which over 1.25 lakh have been planted so far. These trees have been planted in parks, on roadsides, banks of drains, municipal schools and in various municipal institutions. It was also decided to re-develop existing parks and 212 parks were re-developed in June itself,” he said. Emphasising the importance of public co-operation in maintaining and improving greenery in the city, Mr. Gupta said: “So far, 173 MoUs have been signed with residents’ welfare associations and NGOs for maintaining and improving parks.”

Mr. Gupta said the other key area was irrigation and to improve the situation orders had been issued to install 320 new tube-wells, of which 90 had already been installed. Besides, 450 tube-wells had been repaired and were in working condition, he said.

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