HIDCO identifies 3,000 tall trees for Green City project

West Bengal Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) has identified 3,000 tall trees under the tree census project that has been carried out under green city plan. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has proposed to set up a green city in New Town.

Debashis Sen, chairman of HIDCO said in Action Area I where the pilot project had been taken up, 3,000 tall trees had been identified.

The trees have been photographed and their catalogue will be prepared and later they will be classified in collaboration with the state Forest department.  The longitude and latitude of the trees have been noted to stop illegal felling. The programme will be later replicated in Action Areas II and III.

The state department has planned to plant 40,000 saplings in New Town and over 10,000 pits have been dug for the purpose. The week-long Van Mahotsav programme was inaugurated by the state 

Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim at New Town on July 14.

To woo residents of housing complexes to plant saplings, it has been decided that the residents’ welfare groups can plant saplings and send their photographs to New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) by August 15.

WBHIDCO officials will visit the trees and the groups that will be able to maintain the highest number of saplings will be rewarded. WBHIDCO is letting out land along the canal to set up tall tree nurseries. It may be mentioned that Prakriti Tirtha, a unique park with huge water body has become the most important tourist destination with the footfall reaching over 50 lakh since its inception. There are several gardens and boating facility.

A toy train which is a replica of the heritage toy train of Darjeeling and a replica of Ghoom railway station have become hot favourites. A house boat restaurant along with Café Ekante has become very popular.

When New Town was set up it looked like a barren desert and after coming to power in 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested WBHIDCO officials to make the township an ideal one.

Over the past five years, the area looks very different and it has becomes one of the finest township 

with all modern facilities in the country.