Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Noting that Indore Municipal Corporation is committed to making the city greener, mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav here on Saturday said that they had set a target to double the green cover of the city in next four years.
“The country’s cleanest city’s green cover is only 9.5 per cent whereas cities like Surat and Delhi having 25 per cent and 19 per cent green cover respectively are way ahead of us,” he said in a presser.
The mayor said Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has set a target to take the city’s green cover to 18 per cent in next four years.
“We will plant 1 lakh saplings each monsoon for the next four years. Even if only 25,000 of the saplings survive from the one lakh planted every year, the figure of surviving trees will reach one lakh in next four years,” he said.
In collaboration with various organisations, IMC will plant one lakh saplings on Hariyali Mahotsav on Sunday.
However, this is not the first time IMC is planting saplings in such large numbers. Previously also it had planted thousands of saplings. But, the mayor said, this time their focus will not be only on planting saplings but also on ensuring that they survive.
”Working on two fronts to increase green cover”
The mayor said that they are working on two fronts to increase the green cover of Indore. “One front is of planting trees and the other one is getting encroachments removed from the green belt,” he added.
Bhargav appealed to people to throw up a five saplings plantation challenge to their friends and relatives to make this plantation drive a success. “Throwing challenges is trending. So, let’s use it towards environment protection, he said.
Indore to earn carbon credit of Rs 20 cr yearly from 60MW solar plant
Bhargav stated that IMC is going to earn carbon credits worth Rs 20 crore annually when its 60 MW solar power plant will be set up at Jalud, in Khargone district. The plant will not only reduce IMC’s electricity bill but also make it earn from carbon credits.
The mayor also used the occasion to pat IMC’s back for becoming the first urban body in the country to get the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) credit by recycling banned single-use plastic items after seizing them.
Now, buy treated water using 311 App
If you are constructing a house, or doing some work wherein large amount of water is required, buy treated water from IMC using 311 app. “We are providing option on 311 for people to buy treated water from IMC,” water works in-charge Abhishek Bablu Sharma told reporters. He stated that around 350 MLD of water is received after treatment of sewerage water. “We use this water for irrigating our gardens in the city. We also sell it to organisation requiring it. Currently, we are supplying one lakh water each to two companies building metro rail project in the city,” he said.
