The number of saplings or trees provided to people to plant as part of the drive will depend on the size of their plots.
To increase green cover, the MCG yesterday mandated the plantation of a tree in front of each house in the city. The proposal, modelled on the on a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) scheme, has been sent to Haryana’s Urban Local Bodies (ULB) department for final approval.
The number of saplings or trees provided to people to plant as part of the drive will depend on the size of their plots.
One tree will be planted in a plot measuring under 200 sq m. People with plots measuring 200-500 sq m will have to plant two trees. Those with 500-750 sq m plots will have to plant three. An additional tree will have to be planted with an increase of four metres in width.
MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav said the civic body would provide the saplings, but owners would be responsible for nurturing them. Once the ULB department approves the plan, a clause on tree plantation would be added to the terms for sanctioning building plans.
Nurseries of MCG in Civil Lines, Kherki Daula, and other locations will stock tree saplings for the drive.
The BBMP launched a Green App for residents to order saplings from the civic body free of cost in May 2017. A year later, BBMP officials said over 300,000 saplings had been planted in Bengaluru.
MCG officials said discussions to launch a similar app would be initiated once ULB approves the proposal.
But environmentalists are not very sure of success. They feel MCG officials should focus on clearing out encroachments on green belts rather than focus on new initiatives.
