Agency that was in charge of biopark upkeep will develop Gurgaon urban forest

Gurgaon: The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has finalised iamgurgaon, a city-based NGO, as the agency for the development of an urban forest in Sikanderpur and Chakkarpur areas. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard has been signed between the two agencies.
According to GMDA officials, they found iamgurgaon’s proposal to be the most feasible after an evaluation of the three proposals submitted to them. “On the basis of the proposal it submitted, we have finalised iamgurgaon as the agency for the urban forest project,” an official said.
The NGO was responsible for the maintenance of the Aravali Biodiversity Park until recently, when Hero MotoCorp took over its upkeep.
Latika Thakural, the co-founder of the NGO, confirmed the development and said they signed an MoU with GMDA on Thursday. “We have finalised the MoU and are currently going through the maps and other details of the project site,” said Thakural.
She added that they would soon begin an inspection of the site.
Thereafter, the agency plans to start planting saplings. The urban forest will be developed over an area of 200 acres in the city. It will come up on the land which was earlier illegally occupied by squatters and was popularly known as the marble market.
TOI had earlier reported that three agencies — DLF Foundation, iamgurgaon and IORA Ecological Solutions — had expressed interest in the project and were asked to submit their proposals to GMDA for further evaluation.
The project was approved by the chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in GMDA’s last authority meeting held in April.
The scope of the project will include fencing of the area, establishment and maintenance of wood blocks with emphasis on locally-appropriate tree and shrub species, theme-based plantations and establishment and maintenance of public facilities. The agency will not claim any funds from GMDA and arrange for funds on its own.
As of now, Gurgaon does not have an urban forest. The only place that comes close is the Aravali Biodiversity Park. In the absence of other green areas in the city, the proposed urban forest will not only provide a public place for residents, but also help increase Gurgaon’s green cover.
The city’s per capita green cover, according to GMDA’s own estimates, is 7 sqm, whereas it should ideally be 9 sqm. Some within GMDA have, however, disputed the metropolitan authority’s green cover estimates, and said the figure is likely to further come down in the coming years owing to new infrastructure projects and felling of trees.