Urban plantation plan a tribute to Tagore's love for nature
Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is coming up with urban forestry plantation at Canal East Road in Narkeldanga based upon a unique theme.
The project, which the first of its kind in the city, will be inaugurated by Mayor Firhad Hakim on Friday. "The project is a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore and we have named it 'Gitabithi'. Tagore is known for his love of trees and has used the names of various trees in his poems, songs and writings. Trees that have found their place in Tagore's writings and on the Visva Bharati campus at Santiniketan will be planted in the place earmarked for urban forestry," said Debasish Kumar, Member Mayor-in-Council (Parks and Gardens).
There will be around 150 trees that will be planted in a four cottah land at Canal East Road and another 3 cottah land located adjacent to the area at Canal Circular Road will also have similar plantation.
The inaugural programme will be held at the Canal East Road address. The trees that will be planted include shirish, bakul, shegun, amlaki, kadam to name a few. The Visva Bharati campus abounds in these tree varieties. The project is a brainchild of popular Rabindra Sangeet singer Manoj Murali Nair, who will be the special guest at the programme.
A senior official of the Parks and Gardens wing of the KMC said such urban forestry project is of utmost importance to curb pollution in the city. There was a vat at the place earmarked but local borough chairman Anindya Kishore Routh initiated in clearing the place by removing it. We will put up bamboo fencing around the place for protection," the official said.
Hakim has already held meetings with the Railways and the Kolkata Port Trust which are the custodian of a reasonable patches of land in the city.
"We have proposed to them to allow us to take plantation in vacant lands which they would not use for any commercial purpose. They have been urged to take up plantation on their own if they wish or can allow us to take similar initiative," the official said.
