English daily published in Bengaluru & Doha
BBMP sapling drive: Will it be fruitful?
After a three-year hiatus, BBMP has decided to revive its yearly sapling plantation drive. Environmentalists have welcomed the move, but have concerns regarding the timing. The Palike wants to plant nearly 60,000 saplings in the February-March months. Environmentalists feel that soon after, summer will set in and the city may face water shortage. Hence, they fear many of these saplings may not survive.
Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT
Residents and environmentalists are in a dilemma over the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP’s) plan to plant more than 60,000 saplings at various locations in the city, for which it is expected to spend Rs 4.98 crore.
The environmentalists are happy that BBMP has taken up planting of saplings after a gap of three years, but they have reservations about the timing. The saplings will be planted in February or March and environmentalists feel the city may experience a water crisis and the average temperatures will also be on the higher side.
“The BBMP authorities can go ahead with the plan of planting saplings provided there is sufficient water for those plants. It will be prudent to plant saplings if the residents’ welfare associations of the respective areas come forward to water them,” said Janet Yegneswaran, who played a key role in planting more than 75,000 saplings in Bengaluru and other districts in the state.
The BBMP Forest Department had floated tenders on December 23, 2021 inviting bidders for planting 9,500 saplings at an estimated cost of Rs 75.70 lakh in Bommanahalli Zone, 7,000 saplings (Rs 55.77 lakh) in Dasarahalli Zone, 7,500 saplings (Rs 59.75 lakh) in Bengaluru East Zone, 9,500 saplings (Rs 75.70 lakh) in Mahadevapura Zone, 8,000 saplings (Rs 63.75 lakh) in RR Nagar Zone, 5,000 saplings (Rs 39.85 lakh) in Bengaluru South Zone, 6,500 saplings (Rs 51.80 lakh) in Bengaluru West Zone, and 9,500 saplings (Rs 75.70 lakh) in Yelahanka Zone for the year 2021-22.
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