Bhubaneswar, July 4: Encroachments on medians are set to get a green shove across the city.
Recently, the Odisha Forest Development Corporation had sought the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation's co-operation to plant saplings on medians to create green zones on several roads. Along with a touch of greenery, the move will also deal a body blow to encroachers.
"Such vacant medians are subsequently encroached up on by cabins and temporary kiosks, which has become a menace in the locality and disturbing the natural landscape of the area. We would suggest that these areas may be allotted to the forest body along with funds for landscape development with plantation of ornamental shrubs, plants within grill fencing," the forest body's communication to the municipal corporation said.
The authorities will plant mainly shrubs, including sunari trees, in these stretches. The municipal corporation will identify the areas and communicate it back to the forest body.
Civic body sources said they had received the letter from the housing and urban development department and were working on preparing a proposal in this regard. "We will communicate back to the government after identifying the medians for landscape development. We will also calculate the funds needed for the project," said a civic body official.
The letter was first sent to the general administration department that had forwarded it to the forest and environment department. The forest department took up the issue with the housing and urban development department, which forwarded the proposal to the municipal corporation as the civic body takes care of the medians.
The forest body's divisional manager, plantation, T.K. Sahu said they had already developed the median from Nandankanan to Trisuslia along the newly developed road from Barang to Cuttack and were maintaining the median. "If the government provides us other medians in the city, we will replicate the same project," said Sahu.
The forest body will also maintain the trees with regular watering and trimming.
Notably, the municipal corporation has also taken up median plantation programmes in various parts of the city under its beautification project. At present, the civic body is developing the median between Raj Bhavan and Jayadev Vihar Square and will take up the road divider between Jayadev Vihar and Patia Square in the next phase.
The civic body, along with other private partners, is looking after the plantation programme on the city medians. Besides, the forest body is already taking care of the stretch in front of Nandankanan. However, there are still many medians left without plantation, for which it has extended a helping hand.
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the median plantation was one of the important programmes of the civic body that had been taken up to ensure greenery across the city.
"We have already developed many medians in the city. The present projects between Raj Bhavan and Patia Square had been taken up in public-private partnership mode. More such projects will be taken up in the future," said Jena.
Despite the beautification projects, major stretches such as Bapuji Nagar to Vani Vihar Square, Siripur to Fire Station Square and Pokhariput level crossing to Gandamunda do not have green cover. Damana resident Sukanya Satapathy said that after the super cyclone in 1999, several trees were uprooted in the city. The city is witnessing a similar with various development projects taking a toll on trees. Trees had to be felled for the Rajmahal underpass and railway overbridges at Saheed Nagar, Pokhariput and VSS Nagar. The officials should ensure plantation as they are mercilessly felling trees," said Satapathy.
