Ludhiana: Vertical garden to deck up pillars on Southern Bypass

LUDHIANA: The Ludhiana municipal corporation has decided to go for vertical gardens as part of a plan to beautify pillars under Southern Bypass. The gardens will come up near MC zone D office in Sarabha Nagar near Sidhwan Canal. One side of the canal has already been beautified after creation of the water front.
Officials have meanwhile started painting work on pillars, after which these will be covered with plants. It had taken a long time to get technical approvals from the authorities concerned and finalising tenders.
There are 31 piers under this flyover at this location, and vertical gardens will be created along the walls where plants will be irrigated with the help of drip irrigation method. Though the concept of vertical garden is not new to the city, it will be the first such initiative at this location. The project will cost the civic body Rs 2.34 crore.
An official, requesting anonymity, said vertical gardens under the flyover can be a great success and it would also help curb the practice among public to deface the pillars. He said earlier they had got graffiti done at many locations under flyovers, but people had spoiled graffiti with posters. As the vertical gardens will cover entire pillar, there will be no scope for defacement, he said, adding the project will be completed in next few months.
MC zonal commissioner Jasdev Sekhon said the project has kicked with painting work on pillars.
Welcoming the move, residents have demanded similar initiatives in other parts of the city. Shubham Arora, a resident of Shivpuri, said, “It is good that MC is taking such steps, but they should cover other areas as well. There are certain areas where there is no place for leisure activities and some people do not have the facility of a public park to go for a morning walk.” He said there is need to develop green space in other areas of the city too.