Delhi: Pollution, dust to cut down with 'Green Budget'; initiative begins with greening roads

Delhi which has fallen under the clutches of pollution and heat is getting beautified, through this Delhi government is planning to cut down the dust, pollution and heat. It is a part of Green Budget announced by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The roads which are 100 feet wider will be taken for beautification.

As per the PWD (Public Work Department), the main aim of this project is to cut down the dust like the dry and open spaces will get covered with plants and grass and will help the area to keep cool and pollution free.

Around two months ago PWD began with the project where the roads around the ISBT Kashmere Gate Ring Road, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg among others got beautified by planting various kinds of flowers on the side and central edges.

Not just roads, PWD is also beautifying the parks, patches of land that are in the open space alongside the roads that fall under the project area. Department manages around 1,260 km roads in the city. On all the roads they are planting seasonal and ornamental flowers, grass, shrubs and creepers including bougainvillaea, red and yellow Kaner, Champa, Gurhal (Hibiscus), calliandra, Tecoma Gaudichaudi, Livistona palm, Raphis palm, Ficus and Hamelia among others to give a beautiful look.

The officials said that this movement will blossom during monsoon as that is the perfect plantation season. With its first shower in the monsoon, the saplings will glow and flowers will bloom which will intensify the look of roads and will be pleasant to the eyes.

“Earlier, the central and side verges of the PWD roads used to remain either barren or only small patches of grass were there. Dust used to fly from open spaces. Under this initiative we are planting seasonal flowering plants, ornamental plants, creepers, shrubs not only to control dust pollution but also give a beautiful look to the streets,” a senior official of PWD’s horticulture wing said requesting anonymity.

KT Ravindran, former chairman of Delhi Urban Arts Commission, said that this drive will not just beautify the roads or the city but will also help the city to revive and will give new life to the environment like birds, insects, etc.

“It is indeed a good initiative and will certainly help in curbing dust pollution and improve the health of the environment. The beautification of roads should be implemented in a scientific way using indigenous trees so that it can provide shade to the cyclists and pedestrians,” he said.

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