The council also resolved to eradicate Prosopis juliflora, commonly referred to as Velikaathan tree, in city limits
Chennai Corparation one of the heritage buildings that will be decked with lights ahead of the Global Investors Meet (Photo: DC)
Chennai: The Chennai corporation has tied up with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in a bid to increase the city's tree cover from the current nine sq.km to 144 sq.km.
Addressing the council, Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy said TNAU will conduct a tree census in the city and identify spots along river banks, in government office premises, burial grounds, Kodungaiyur and Perungudi landfills among other places to plant 'useful and shade providing' trees.
"They will plant and take care of the trees for a period of three years. Inside hospital complexes and bus route roads as well as interior streets, TNAU will plant and maintain palm trees," he said.
The memorandum of understanding between the corporation and TNAU would see the latter taking control of the corporation's Madambakkam nursery besides developing 'rasi' and 'star' parks in OSR lands.
"With this MoU, I am confident that the city will improve its tree cover greater than what international standards demand. In order to achieve this goal, this council shall also, in the future, consider the possibility of detaching the parks department from the Works HOD and set it up as an individual entity within the local body's hierarchy," the Mayor added.
The council also resolved to eradicate Prosopis juliflora, commonly referred to as Velikaathan tree, in city limits. These trees had no use and they sucked the life out of the soil.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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