Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A grand Zoological Park, being developed at a cost of ₹250 crore under the Smart City Mission initiative, has reached its final stage. To ensure that the animals feel close to nature, around 3 lakh trees will be planted. This tree plantation initiative was inaugurated by the municipal corporation administrator G Sreekanth on Tuesday. On the first day itself, around 2,000 saplings were planted by various school students.
The campaign has been launched under the tagline “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” (A Tree in the name of mother) to mark Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s birthday. A private company has taken the initiative to plant the 3 lakh trees and is providing saplings, fertilisers, and experts for the project. This work is being carried out under the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) fund. The Zoological Park is being developed on 150 acres of land, out of which 130 acres are allocated for tree plantation. The Smart City and Municipal Corporation’s garden section aims to complete the entire plantation by the end of October.
At the plantation event held on Tuesday morning, students from Nath Valley , Cambridge, and Municipal schools participated in planting trees. The event was attended by additional commissioner Ranjit Patil, smart city deputy CEO Ravindra Jogdand, deputy commissioners Aparna Thete and Nandkishore Bhombe, Chief Garden Superintendent Vijay Patil, animal husbandry officer Shaikh Shahed, public relations officer Tausif Ahmed, Smart City project managers Imran Khan and Sneha Nair, and officials from the private company including Shri Jagdale, Ganesh Jadhav, and Jayesh Shinde.
Adequate water supply to sustain trees
To sustain the 3 lakh trees over 130 acres, water has been stored from three wells. Thanks to nature’s bounty, the wells have abundant water. Even if water is supplied to the trees every other day, there will be no shortage. Nearby ponds and streams also have sufficient water flowing from the hills. There will be no issue of trees drying up due to lack of water, said the project head Imran Khan.