Terming it a “birthday gift” to Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao, the GHMC took up plantation under Haritha Haaam programme on the 10-acre land belonging to the Victoria Memorial Home Residential School in Kothapet on Friday.

The VM Home had “voluntarily” given up the land behind the Kothapet fruit market, for plantation on Yadadri model, or what was known internationally as the Miyawaki model, the statement said, touting it as the biggest Yadadri model park in Telangana.

A statement by GHMC said the 10 acres would be planted with a total of 2 lakh saplings by July 31. As per the Miyawaki model, saplings with higher growth, medium growth and smaller growth would be planted in rows. This apart, medicinal plants and flowering species would be planted to fill in the gaps.

The trees would attain full growth within two years and resemble thick forests, the statement said.

Minister for Education P. Sabitha Indra Reddy, together with Mayor Bonthu Ram Mohan, launched the work by planting saplings. They also checked the plants of 51 species brought for plantation drive here.

Ms.Sabitha Indra Reddy said the plantation works were launched as birthday gift to Mr. K. T. Rama Rao. The land would be developed as biggest Yadadri model park, she said, and called for people’s participation in enhancement of greenery and protection of plants. Plantation would protect the trust lands from encroachment too, she said.

Mr. Bonthu Ram Mohan reiterated that it was a birthday gift to Mr. Rama Rao, and directed the Urban Biodiversity officials to deploy special staff to develop the park and monitor the facility regularly.