City Corpn enlists corporates, residents to rebuild green cover

The efforts have tasted success, with nearly 20,000 saplings being planted in this financial year – a majority of them at Royapuram zone.

According to a Corporation official, the drive is a part of civic body’s initiative to plant 50,000 trees during 2019-2020.

“We are encouraging corporate companies to utilise their corporate social responsibility funds (CSR Fund) to plant saplings and also maintain them for a particular period. We are trying to plant all the 50,000 saplings using the help of volunteers and corporate companies,” the official said.

As per data from the civic body, 19,270 saplings have been planted by the volunteers on city roads, parks, burial grounds and other civic body-owned areas during the current financial year. Of these, a lion’s share has gone to Royapuram zone where 16,109 saplings were planted, while the numbers at the remaining 14 zones are much less. Sources said it was because a private company planted 10,000 saplings at Royapuram.

“Newly planted saplings require maintenance for one year; many corporates and volunteers provide funds for the maintenance also. At some places, civic body employees maintain them. We are giving clearance to whoever approaching the civic body for permission to plant saplings. However, they should plant native species,” he added.

In the previous year, the civic body had planted 23,000 saplings on roads and parks by employing contractors. The contractors were asked to maintain them for one year. Apart from this, the civic body tagged all the 23,000 new saplings in its geo-mapping project to ensure effective monitoring of their growth. Care Earth Trust, a city-based NGO was appointed to finalise the types and number of saplings to be planted in the city. A detailed project report also was prepared for planting saplings.

During Cyclone Vardah, more than 17,000 trees, mostly of foreign species, were uprooted causing widespread loss of the city’s green cover. Presently, the civic body maintains more than 1.61 lakh trees on roads and parks.