TN launches new urban greening policy

Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt has rolled out a comprehensive urban greening policy framework directing all urban local bodies (ULBs) to significantly expand and manage green spaces, integrate ecological planning into city development, and adopt robust monitoring systems to enhance climate resilience, biodiversity, and public well-being.Explaining the new policy, state forest secretary Surpriya Sahu said it mandates ULBs to strive for a minimum of 15% green cover across their municipal limits. Under the policy, cities are encouraged to adopt a modified version of the 3–30–300 urban green liveability guideline, adapted to TN's ecological and spatial context, to ensure visibility of trees from residences, improved neighbourhood canopy cover, and walkable access to usable green spaces.
Urban green infrastructure layers will be integrated into planning tools, including GIS-based mapping of ecological assets, open spaces, canopy zones, water-body buffers, and potential greening corridors. These layers will guide prioritization of greening interventions, particularly in heat-stressed and low-green-cover zones, and will be made available on public dashboards to ensure transparency and community monitoring.The framework also focuses on strengthening nursery development and standardising tree planting practices. Each ULB has been advised to establish urban green nurseries and prioritise native, drought-tolerant, climate-resilient, and pest-resistant species.Standard protocols for planting pit dimensions, soil preparation, organic mulching, irrigation scheduling, staking, and protection have been prescribed, along with technical guidelines for species selection, planting design, pruning standards, and long-term tree health management. Citizen participation and stewardship form a core pillar of the policy, with ULBs directed to encourage involvement of residents' welfare associations, schools, self-help groups, and volunteers in maintaining urban greenery. Principal chief conservator of forests (research), I Anwardeen said a strong monitoring, evaluation, and reporting mechanism has been built into the framework, shifting focus from plantation numbers to outcomes such as canopy development, ecological functionality, climate resilience, public accessibility, and community stewardship.Key performance indicators include municipal green cover percentage, per-capita green space, tree survival rates through geo-tagged audits, species diversity, continuity of blue-green corridors, performance of tree and biodiversity parks, and levels of community participation, he said.