The Hindu               13.06.2013

Time you put the green back in Garden City

The loss of green cover in the city is perceivable. This
can obviously be felt in the increase in daytime temperatures and
decrease in the number of bird species.

The Bruhat
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) routinely makes a big song and dance
about its plantation drives every year. It even plants saplings
symbolically on World Environment Day each year. The BBMP supposedly
planted 1.72 lakh saplings last year. However, by the BBMP’s own
moderate estimation, more than 20 per cent may have died.

BBMP’s Chief Conservator of Forests Brijesh Kumar told
The Hindu
the civic authority would now take up “casualty replacement” this
monsoon. “All the seedlings that died will be replaced. We have 7.56
lakh saplings of various species ready in the eight nurseries.”

Free saplings

On
June 5 last year, the BBMP had reportedly given away 3,217 saplings for
free to the citizens, besides planting 441 at Gandhi Krishi Vigyan
Kendra (GKVK), Soundarya Layout, Freedom Park and H.M.T. Layout.

This time around, as part of World Environment Day celebrations, it planned for 4,380 saplings.

Monsoon plan

“This
monsoon, we hope to plant 1.6 lakh saplings across the city: 40,000
each will be planted in Bommanahalli and R.R. Nagar zones, 30,000 in
Yelahanka zone, 15,000 in Dasarahalli zone, 10,000 each in Mahadevapura,
West and South zones and 5,000 in East zone.” Though there was emphasis
on planting only indigenous species, the BBMP was not able to do so
last year. “We wanted to clear the old stock, which did have exotic
species. It was due to this that we did not feel the need to raise fresh
saplings,” he conceded.

Mandatory planting

In
a press release, BBMP commissioner M. Lakshminarayana stated that the
civic body would now enforce the regulation that stipulates that two
trees should be planted in sites measuring 60 ft x 40 ft, three on those
measuring 50 ft x 80 ft, four in those measuring over 50 ft x 80 ft,
and at least 25 per acre. This will help recharge groundwater table.

The
BBMP would take up tree mapping this year and put in place a mechanism
where citizens can alert the civic authority about diseased and dead
trees posing a danger. The release added that an online platform for the
same would be ready in three months.

BBMP will invoke old regulation on mandatory planting: Commissioner.