Ggm: Authorities seek help from pvt sector to preserve city's green belt

gurugram: With dwindling funds, public authorities in Gurugram are now looking for help from the private sector to preserve the city's green cover and other natural resources like common water bodies. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram is now planning to come up with a plan where corporates can invest funds in these public spaces as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and maybe also find a way to earn some revenue from it in the future.

There are plans that three major water bodies will be handed over to corporates for maintenance and a model is in the process of being designed wherein the corporates are able to also earn revenue from the parks and water bodies they will be in charge of maintaining. "Under the process of CSR, we are planning to take the assistance of the corporates in maintaining the city's green belt. We will be issuing the tenders soon and we hope to get good participation from the private companies," said a senior official from MCG.

The CSR funds and donations from the corporates to the public agencies have already come in handy in accruing vital resources to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The biggest success of public-private participation, however, has been the revival of Aravalli biodiversity park that has become one of the sources of attraction in the city

More than 15 top multinational companies came forward in 2010 to create a green area spread in the area of 300 acres of Aravalli hills. The success of Aravalli biodiversity park prompted the officials to further take the assistance of Gurugram private companies in reviving the depleting water bodies in the city. The infusion of private players can also aid in the ambitious biodiversity management project in Gurugram.

According to officials, there are also plans to create artificial water bodies, an arboretum, recreation centre, medicinal plant garden, and a bamboo park surrounded by nature trails in the forest.

The city forests will be developed in the Aravalli hills and foothills in villages Sakatpur, Gairatpur Bas and Shikohpur. According to officials, the new city forest will be bigger than Aravalli Biodiversity Park. The department under the plan wants a mass scale plantation drive of native tree species in the forest where only recycled water will be used.