Chennai Corporation parks, playgrounds to get native saplings

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is all set to plant native saplings across all the parks, playgrounds and burial grounds maintained by the local body, and float tenders to renovate and improve the city parks.

Expanding the green spots of the city to revive the nature and environment and also to create a buffer from escaping the heat waves, the GCC has planned to plant one lakh native breed saplings on June 5 to mark the World Environment day.

Last week, the local body floated a tender worth Rs.1.83 crore for the supply of native saplings for one year. “We’re expecting bidders with experience in nursery fields to provide native saplings,” said a top official in the Parks and Playfields department. “Though the project is not time-bound, we’re planning to plant the saplings in a phased manner. The saplings will be drip irrigated to grow as trees.”

It was also told that native breeds such as neermaruthu (Terminalia Arjuna), poovarasu (Thespesia Populnea), sarakondai (Cassia Fistula), Jamun Plant and several others will be planted under the project.

Likewise, tenders worth Rs 22.12 crore (several packages for various zones) have been floated to renovate and improve parks and playgrounds, after officials received complaints of damaged parks and playgrounds from the zonal level.

It may be noted that Rs 11.64 crore has been allocated to renovate Nageshwara Rao Park, Mylapore, under Namakku Naame scheme.