Soon, workshop to ensure realty projects plant native flora in their mandatory 20% green space

Kolkata: In a tie-up with the state Forest department, CREDAI West Bengal will soon hold a workshop for real estate builders to ensure that the mandatory 20 per cent green area in a development project must contain flora that is native to the place to ensure zero loss of indigenous species.

It has come to light that in some cases, the green areas in real estate projects often have flora which is not native to the place. This is affecting birds and animals that are indigenous to the city. Environmentalist Bonani Kakkar pointed out: “Several animals, birds and insects that are native to the city have either disappeared or have reduced in numbers such as grasshoppers and sparrows. It has been observed that in several green spaces in real estate projects, plants or grass which are not native to the region have been imported and planted. It is vital that greenery that is native to a place should be planted.”

Milan Kanti Mondal, Divisional Forest Officer, South 24-Parganas told Millennium Post: “It is mandatory that in any development project, 20 per cent of the area must have greenery. The regeneration plan needs to be approved by the DFO concerned. Suppose a project is 100 acres, 20 acres should be reserved for greenery else the building plan won’t be sanctioned. We will explain to the real estate builders that such greenery be planted which is native to the place and is fruit-bearing that will in turn attract birds.”

Sources said recently a renowned private hospital in the city had extension plans but ran into a hurdle due to a space crunch since it is mandatory to maintain the existing 20 per cent green area surrounding it. To obtain permission for the same, it had to carry out a plantation on land it possesses in Baruipur. Similarly, a real estate group had to change their plan and plant mangroves in the green area of their project near the Ganges.

At the sidelines of an event, Sushil Mohta, president, CREDAI West Bengal & chairman, Merlin Group, told Millennium Post: “The workshop will be aimed at making builders aware of planting native trees and right kind of greenery in their projects.

“Most developers in Kolkata are planting trees native to the city. More guidance will help them do it in a proper manner. Kolkata also has a very good footprint of green buildings.”