New Delhi: Under the guidance of Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Sunday to add a new dimension to Yamuna rejuvenation and Delhi's aesthetic upgradation, 300 saplings (150 saplings each) of Cherry Blossom and Chinar were planted at three islands in the Yamuna between Qudsia Ghat and ITO Barrage.
Delhi's lush green landscape, particularly those surrounding the River Yamuna, will resplend with the swaths of pink and white Cherry Blossom and the hues of amber, red and yellow Chinar leaves, like never before, informed a Cherry Blossom and Chinar, being planted for the first time in Delhi, marks a new beginning in the drive to deck up Delhi's landscape.
Apart from Cherry Blossom and Chinar, over 1400 saplings of other floral species that include Kachnar, Weeping Willow, Semal, Bottle Brush, Bougainvillea and Kaner, were also planted on Yamuna islands. 150 Saplings of Cherry Blossom, 150 of Chinar, 850 of Bougainvillea and 571 of Kaner were planted.
In all, 1733 saplings were planted on the three islands in the presence of LG Saxena. The Chinar and Cherry Blossom saplings have been planted at the highest points on each of the three islands with 3 meters of space between the two saplings. The other floral species have been planted in a grid formation in the remaining areas of the islands.
Cherry Blossom, also known as Japanese Cherry, is a deciduous tree that has been adopted at several places in India like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Shimla and Shillong among others. Similarly, Chinar is also a deciduous tree known for the peculiar shape and colour of its leaves. Chinar trees can produce up to 300-400 KG of leaves per year.
In India, Chinar trees are mostly found in Jammu and Kashmir. It is for the first time that an effort has been made to introduce Chinar and Cherry Blossom in Delhi. The initiative is also aligned with the LG's vision of making Delhi a City of Flowers, for which he has been personally monitoring the progress of works and coordinating with multiple agencies.
Officials informed LG that the Chinar and Cherry Blossom saplings were first kept under a controlled atmosphere in nurseries for a month to let them acclimatize to Delhi's weather. Thereafter, the saplings were planted on Yamuna islands. LG instructed the officials to deploy personnel of the Territorial Army to protect these islands from any encroachment, while the Forest Department will take care of the plants. Seeds of a variety of flowering shrubs like marigolds, cosmos and others were also sown along the river banks that will create a flower bed along the edges of the river.
Over the next 3 days, seeds will be sown along both the banks of Yamuna using drones and in the next 2-3 weeks these flowing plants will grow. A large number of riverine grasses have also been planted to prevent the islands from erosion.
On this occasion, LG also inspected the ongoing Yamuna cleaning operations and expressed satisfaction with the progress of the works. He appreciated the efforts of the agencies and the workers involved in Yamuna cleaning.
This was LG Saxena's 13th visit to Yamuna in less than 12 months of his tenure as the LG. LG also lauded the religious leaders/institutions for extending their whole-hearted support to Yamuna Cleaning and said very soon, industries and its leaders will be brought on board for Yamuna Cleaning.
Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Environment and Forest Department, GNCTD, Vice Chairman, DDA, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, GNCTD and senior officials of DDA and other stakeholder agencies were present on the occasion. (ANI)
