The joy that a single brinjal or a slowly ripening tomato from your
own garden can bring is quite unique. Even more so for those of us who
achieve this despite living in concrete jungles, and double for those
with thriving kitchen gardens.
This week, residents of the city
will get a chance to showcase their prized vegetables and fruits that
they have grown in their backyard, balcony or roof top gardens and maybe
even win a prize.
In a bid to increase the city’s green cover
from 5 pc to 25 pc, the Chennai Corporation has planned to incentivise
kitchen, roof top or balcony gardens that are maintained by the
residents in their households. Under the scheme, which has been planned
as one of the 66 schemes announced to mark the Chief Minister’s
birthday, the civic body will inspect these gardens and give away prizes
to the top three gardens that will be selected by Parks Department
officials under various criteria.
Apart from this, the residents
will also get a chance to showcase the produce they have grown in their
gardens, at an exclusive exhibition to be conducted on February 14 and
15. Suitable prizes will be given after a selection process, said the
officials.
To participate in the exhibition, the Corporation has
requested the residents of the city to register with the civic body
through snail mail, phone or the Internet, following which the
participants will be informed of the yet-to-be decided venue for the
exhibition.
