Hyderabad: Move to expand greenery in Kukatpally zone

Kukatpally: With a view to increasing green cover, besides serving the growing demand for medicinal plants and other shrubs, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) plans to set up 100 nurseries in the colony parks in the Kukatpally zone.Five GHMC circles in the zone, Kukatpally, Quthbullapur, Alwal, Suraram and Gajularamaram, aim to grow 25 lakh saplings in each nursery.

V Mamata, the Kukatpally Zonal Commissioner, said, "Earlier, we used to buy saplings form Kadiyam (East Godavari district). But, by developing our own nurseries under GHMC limits, we need not dependon other States for saplings. In Kukatpally zone, we plan to set up 100 nurseries in colony parks. Each circle would have 20 nurseries. We have hired a contractor for maintenance of these nurseries."

"We have started setting up small plant bags in the colony parks. Around 10,000 bags are being placed in these parks. Also, half of the plant bags are filled with seeds or cuttings. By the onset of monsoon, the seeds would sprout into saplings. Now-a-days, there is a demand for raising saplings in households. As private nurseries charge high prices, we plan to distribute saplings free to enthusiasts. We are expecting maximum success rate in raising plant species," said a senior officer of GHMC Urban Bio-diversity wing.