Urban forest created at polluted ITO in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A “dense” urban forest has been created at one of the national capital’s most polluted areas, in a park adjacent to the ITO metro station, by the government’s official auditor comptroller and auditor general.
The urban forest, inaugurated by environment minister Prakash Javadekar along with CAG Rajiv Mehrishi on Thursday, has been created by planting at least 12,000 saplings of 59 indigenous species of trees.
Javadekar appreciated the CAG’s initiative and said it has set an example to be followed by other offices in Delhi.
Created over an area of one acre, the urban forest consists of recreational, artistic and meditation zones. “The winding pathways, watchtower, gazebo, and sitting spaces add to the character and experience of the urban forest,” CAG said.
The urban forest has been designed to create “an ecosystem to restore habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and micro fauna”. These are essential for pollination of crops and fruits and to help maintain a balanced ecosystem, the auditor said.
Inaugurating the forest, Javadekar said: “Creating such an oxygen bank in CAG park will be very useful as it will soak the carbon and give out oxygen.” The minister appreciated the CAG’s initiative and said it has set an example to be followed by other offices in Delhi. He said this will become a dense forest in another year or so and will be a new attraction for people of Delhi.
“We believe that initiatives like these will help us move towards a state of better ecological balance, especially in cities. It is a small yet significant contribution to Delhi’s ecosystem, one that could inspire people to reclaim and restore their natural surroundings,” CAG Mehrishi observed.