The Telegraph report on April 7, 2012, on lack of care for saplings and (above) file picture of saplings at OFDC nursery in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, May 23: Saplings planted in the capital this year can expect to live longer as an expert organisation has been entrusted with the responsibility to nurture their growth.

Following a report published in The Telegraph on April 7, 2012, on how lack of accountability and expertise of the executing agencies has marred the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) plantation drives, this year the civic body has planned to assign the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) the job to plant some 7,250 saplings in different wards of the capital.

Earlier, the BMC used to engage private firms and various non-government organisations for the job. But, the survival rate of the saplings was very low. Sources in the BMC said the civic body had planted as many as 10,640 saplings during 2010-11 and 6,000 saplings in 60 sites during 2011-12. But only a few saplings survived making the plantation programmes a flop show.

“The OFDC has adequate manpower and expertise in plantation. So, we have decided to assign the job to them. We have already sent a proposal to them in this regard,” said BMC’s environment officer Bikram Keshari Routray.

Admitting that the plantation programmes undertaken by it earlier did not achieve much success, he said: “We lack manpower and expertise to look after the saplings that are planted as part of our programmes. But, with the OFDC on the job, we can be assured of the survival of the saplings.”

Last year, the BMC had formed 15 zones for plantation and three NGOs were assigned the job. The civic body was also supposed to spend Rs 214 for taking care of each sapling. But, it has so far not given any money to any of the organisations for taking care of the saplings.

This year’s plantation programme will start in the first week of July and saplings such as Neem, Ashoka, Karanj and Sunari will be planted across the capital.“Plantation drives have become publicity stunts on occasions such as Van Mahotsav. The BMC should give the job to expert organisations. Also, it must do a proper follow up to find out the survival rate of the saplings,” said Nrupesh Nayak, a councillor.

An OFDC official said they had received the proposal and intimated the civic body about the money required for this purpose. “We will carry out the plantation drive only if the civic body agrees to allocate adequate funding demanded by us,” said OFDC divisional manager of plantation Maheswar Pradhan. Sources in the OFDC said they had asked for Rs 2,500 for each sapling to ensure that the survival rate remained high.