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Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Delhi floats tender for 12K plantations to beautify SP Marg
New Delhi Around 12,000 flowering trees and shrubs, including amaltas and bougainvillaea, will be planted along the Sardar Patel Marg to beautify it and a tender has been floated for the same, officials of the Delhi forest and wildlife department said on Wednesday. A similar drive in June 2023—wherein Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena asked the forest department for a five-layered plantation of around six flowering species at the ridge, including chinar and cherry blossoms, in the run-up to the G20 Summit—did not yield desired results, a senior forest department official said on condition of anonymity. The drive focused on the side facing SP Marg as it provided access to visitors and dignitaries commuting between central Delhi and the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The forest department official said the plantation drive is likely to commence in monsoon season, and fully grown saplings—around 10 to 12 feet high—will be planted. 'The aim is to beautify the initial part of the stretch adjacent to the forest with flowering trees and shrubs. This will make the approach aesthetically pleasing and we are focusing on native species,' the official said. They said over 1,000 each of amaltas, Lagerstroemia speciosa (Queen's crepe myrtle), and Tabebuia rosea (rosy trumpet tree) will be planted, and around 8,400 bougainvillea will be planted, according to the tender. The last date for submitting bids is June 2, as per the tender dated May 26. The forest official said that while the species are not expected to flower this year, there is a possibility some species may flower by next year. Experts, however, questioned the choice of species selected. Environmentalist Pradip Krishen said that barring amaltas, the remaining three species were not native to the ridge. 'Even bougainvillaea may survive in the ridge, but that does not mean it is a good reason to plant it there. Just because a species is able to grow on thin rocky soils, you cannot let ornamental exotic plants be introduced there. On one hand, the forest department says is ecologically restoring the ridge, but at the same time, it is opting for such species which are not native at all,' he said. Delhi has four prominent ridge areas, with a total area of around 7,784 hectares. The largest—the Southern Ridge—is spread over 6,200 hectares. Central Ridge is the next largest, with an area of 864 hectares. The South-Central Ridge in Mehrauli is spread across 626 hectares and the Northern Ridge is spread across 87 hectares. The Nanakpura south-central ridge is spread across seven hectares.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
12k flowering saplings to be planted at central Ridge
New Delhi: Delhi Forest and Wildlife Department plans to beautify the forest stretch along Sardar Patel Marg by planting 12,000 flowering trees and shrubs. Around the Central Ridge near the Sardar Patel Marg boundary, 1,200 each of Amaltas, Queen's Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa), and Rosy Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia rosea) will be planted, along with approximately 8,400 bougainvillea shrubs. Saplings, 10–12 feet tall, will be planted during the upcoming monsoon, with flowers expected from next year. A senior forest official said, "We aim to enhance the forest area along Sardar Patel Marg with native flowering species to improve its visual appeal. A tender has been floated, and plantation will begin in the monsoon." Earlier attempts to grow Chinar and Cherry blossom trees here failed. These were planted near SP Marg ahead of the G20 summit, anticipating the route would be used by delegates and VIPs, but both species did not survive. Delhi's ridges include northern, central, south-central, and southern ridge, spanning a total of around 7,777 hectares. The southern ridge is the largest at 6,200 hectares, followed by central ridge (864 ha), south-central ridge (626 ha), and northern ridge (87 ha). TNN
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
A horticulturist bids adieu to the magnificent trees of TIFR
MUMBAI: For over three decades, Rajendra Gumaste has tended to the acres of greenery in a pocket at the southern tip of Mumbai set up by scientist extraordinaire Homi Bhabha. Now, as he prepares to move on to other pastures, he leaves to it the distilled essence of his years of work there, sprinkled with archival finds and curiosities, in the form of a coffee table book titled 'Trees of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research'. 'When Dr Bhabha got this piece of land in Colaba in the 1950s to house TIFR, it was mostly barren reclaimed land,' said Gumaste, speaking before the book's launch at the seaside campus on Thursday. 'Even though this was to be a den of scientific inquiry, he gave as much importance to nature in over 20 acres, almost half of the campus.' When Mumbai was in its teething stages, sacrificing trees to make way for people, Bhabha was making space for the former. 'Around half the trees here are transplanted from other parts of Mumbai, including Banyan trees, baobabs and peepal trees,' said Gumaste. 'He also imported rare species like the Melaleuca leucadendra and Tabebuia rosea.' Today the campus has over 2,000 trees in 110 varieties. The unmistakable star of this transplanting effort lies in the campus: a gigantic Banyan tree, one of the approximately 20 on campus, whose canopy spreads out over 6,000 square feet. 'This is not the oldest Banyan tree in Mumbai, but it is the only one that has been given this much space to spread its wings to its heart's desire,' said Shyam Palkar, assistant professor of botany at MES' DG Ruparel College. Gumaste met Palkar, who is part of a group called 'Friends of Trees', back in 2024 on a tree walk he was conducting at TIFR. They became great friends, and Palkar came on board as the book's editor and added botany and taxonomy details to it. Another feat of transplantation is one of the four baobab trees on campus. 'This baobab was transplanted from Nepeansea Road in 1972, when it was approximately 50 years old,' said Gumaste. 'The archive notes that Bhabha's brother, J J Bhabha, saw the tree being cut and asked the then director if it was possible to transplant it. Despite being an expensive endeavour, they still went ahead with it, with funding by Telco. There is a photo of the night it was being transplanted, with JRD Tata and J J Bhabha, looking up to its branches, a banner about its transplantation hanging between two trees in the background.' For Gumaste, who began his role as the head of gardens and parks at TIFR—he retired in 2024 but continues as a consultant—the challenges of tending to the trees have increased over the years due to the change in weather, temperature and rainfall patterns. 'Every monsoon, there are a few tree falls, especially those trees that are not native to Bombay like the gulmohar and spathodea, and the newer ones planted to fill the gaps,' he said. 'It is even trickier over here, as this is reclaimed land, and soil does not always allow the roots to bind firmly. During Cyclone Tatukae in 2021, we lost 48 trees.' Following in the footsteps of Bhabha, Gumaste and his 40-50 gardeners hoisted 32 of the trees right back up. Gumaste has also continued adding trees, preferring to choose the native varieties for a better survival rate. A few acres ahead, the greenery changes shape and leads to well-manicured French-style lawns with a hedge of Putranjiva trees around it and flowers decorating the borders. In the centre is a flower arrangement. Gumaste explains, 'While the flowers in it change according to the seasons, its shape—an amoeba—stays the same, as that is what Bhabha wanted.' Step another three acres ahead, and the greenery once again changes form into one mimicking a forest of wispy Casuarina equisetifolia trees, again at Bhabha's behest. 'This is a tree great for the seashore, as it bonds well in the sandy soil, breaks the wind, and prevents soil erosion,' said Gumaste. 'We keep reconstructing small gazebos here, as professors like to take lectures here, but the younger trees often fall during the monsoon and break them.' Gumaste credits his band of gardeners with keeping Bhabha's dream alive. For the book, he thanks the contributions of Palkar, designer Neil Daptardar and two TIFR photographers Vijay Shinde and Jatin Acharya, as well as Friends of Trees and the TIFR Alumni Association. 'We desperately need to bring back that sense of reverence and exaltation of trees,' he said. ('Trees of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research' is available with the TIFR Alumni Association for ₹1,500)
