With 30 per cent of its saplings all wilting and leading to losses to the tune of Rs 18 lakh, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation finds itself in a spot yet again. To top it all, Rs 60 lakh was only the initial amount spent on plantation, the maintenance cost for the plants increases the expenditure as well, say AMC officials.
The saplings which were bought last monsoon cost Rs 60 lakh. Four lakh of these saplings were planted by AMC at various places in the city.
Officials, however, claim rest of the plants are safe. The worst affected stretch where plants dried up include the road starting from Sardar Patel Stadium which leads to Vijay Crossroads where the saplings were planted on the divider. This area, say AMC officials comes under the Integrated Street Development Project (ISDP) because of which the AMC has discontinued its work. Jignesh Patel, Director, Parks and Gardens at AMC says, “We decided to stop the work on the stretch as it comes under the aforesaid programme. We felt what is done is done. Now we will not continue the work.”
A senior official. however, said although the stretch falls in AMC limits, a controversy surrounding the stretch was reason behind stopping the work. He says, “We did not plan to install grills to protect plants. Later, Airtel started put up grills to protect plants but this hampered us as we were unable to water plants. There was lack of co-ordination between their people and AMC.”
AMC planted 10,000 jatropha plants near Shreyas crossing, 75,000 plants near ITI Naroda, 25,000 plants near Maninagar railway track and close to 16,000 plants in front of Bhavans college in Khanpur.
In January this year, 20,000 ficus plants were planted on Ashram road leading to Vadaj.
The variety of plants planted by the civic body include flowering plants as well as tree saplings.
Courtesy : Expresindia.com
The saplings which were bought last monsoon cost Rs 60 lakh. Four lakh of these saplings were planted by AMC at various places in the city.
Officials, however, claim rest of the plants are safe. The worst affected stretch where plants dried up include the road starting from Sardar Patel Stadium which leads to Vijay Crossroads where the saplings were planted on the divider. This area, say AMC officials comes under the Integrated Street Development Project (ISDP) because of which the AMC has discontinued its work. Jignesh Patel, Director, Parks and Gardens at AMC says, “We decided to stop the work on the stretch as it comes under the aforesaid programme. We felt what is done is done. Now we will not continue the work.”
A senior official. however, said although the stretch falls in AMC limits, a controversy surrounding the stretch was reason behind stopping the work. He says, “We did not plan to install grills to protect plants. Later, Airtel started put up grills to protect plants but this hampered us as we were unable to water plants. There was lack of co-ordination between their people and AMC.”
AMC planted 10,000 jatropha plants near Shreyas crossing, 75,000 plants near ITI Naroda, 25,000 plants near Maninagar railway track and close to 16,000 plants in front of Bhavans college in Khanpur.
In January this year, 20,000 ficus plants were planted on Ashram road leading to Vadaj.
The variety of plants planted by the civic body include flowering plants as well as tree saplings.
Courtesy : Expresindia.com