NMC planted saplings with plastic bags along roads, removes all after gala dinner

Nagpur: With the gala dinner for C20 delegates done on Monday night, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Tuesday removed saplings from flowerpots installed on two roads leading towards Telangkhedi garden. Shockingly, the civic body had planted the saplings with the plastic bags, so it was able to remove and take them back easily, leaving the roads bereft of greenery.
The Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) had organized the gala dinner for participants of C20 summit at Telangkhedi garden on Monday night. The civic body had placed over 100 big pots and planted around 40 small saplings and one big sapling in each of the pots on both sides of the two roads a couple of days ago. All saplings had colourful flowers.
It had appeared that NMC had installed the pots with saplings permanently, which is one of its primary responsibilities.
However, during a visit to the garden on Tuesday, NMC garden department staffers were seen removing saplings from the pots. Shockingly, all saplings had been inserted into the soil with the plastic bags. By evening, all saplings had been removed. The pots will be also be taken back on Wednesday, said sources in NMC.
Officials from NMC garden department did not respond to TOI’s calls and messages.
Green activist Kunal Mourya said this is cheating citizens. “NMC failed to conserve existing trees. In the name of C20 summit, NMC hammered a lakh nails into trees for lighting. Some branches were cut for illumination. Then, it first planted saplings in the off season. We thought at least some will survive, and add to the greenery left in the city. I am shocked to hear that the saplings were removed. It is a fraud by NMC to put saplings in soil and then take them back,” he said.
Mourya added the installation of plants with pots inside a hall on temporary basis for a short programme is understandable, but not along roads. “A detailed inquiry is needed on procurement, plantation, expenditure, survival rate etc,” he said.
Some days ago, NMC had also planted saplings on the road-divider near Futala lake. Also, a large number of palm trees had been planted in big plots on both sides of the footpath.
A TOI check revealed many saplings had been just put into the soil with the plastic bags. NMC sources said the big pots with palm trees will also be removed from the footpaths, and they had been kept there on temporary basis for C20 delegates.
TOI had also reported that NIT hammered nails into the heritage gateway of the garden for illumination. On Tuesday, the concerned agency removed the lights from the grade-I heritage structure, but the nails were left in the gateway.