In the works for 10 yrs, biodiversity park in Gzb gets UP govt’s approval

Ghaziabad: UP govt has given its approval for a biodiversity park in one of the most polluted areas of the city.In the pipeline since 2014, the park will come up on 62 acres near Mahamaya Stadium and close to the Red Line metro and rapid rail corridors. The project is likely to cost Rs 17 crore, which will be funded under the Centre’s AMRUT 2.0 initiative.

Officials said the park — within striking distance of the Meerut Trisection — would serve as the ‘green lung’ of the city. With metro and rapid rail stations around it, the area is one of the city’s busiest and most polluted as well.“This biodiversity park was conceived more than a decade ago. But several issues, such as funding, caused an inordinate delay in the detailed project report, which eventually was prepared in 2022. The park was recently given a go-ahead at the state-level task committee’s meeting that was headed by the principal secretary. We are waiting for an official order from the govt. We hope to start work by the end of this month,” municipal commissioner Vikramaditya Singh Malik said.The project, according to Malik, will be ready in about a year. It is key to tackling the toxic air in the city, which has been listed as one of the country’s most polluted areas over the past few years. Currently, Ghaziabad has one forest area by the Hindon, spread over 150 acres.“This will serve as the city’s green lung. There will be about 450 species of plants, many of them bearing fruits and flowers, in the park. Some of them will be ornamental as well. The species will include cycas, bamboo, orchids, and medicinal plants. According to the plan, the park will also have a pond on 2.5 acres. Some of the portions will be earmarked for a ‘Rose Garden, Medicinal Udyan, Knowledge Garden, Vasant Vatika, Navgraha Vatika, Sharad Vatika, and Bal Vatika’,” the commissioner said.According to the ‘State of Forest, 2019’ report, only 2.1% of Ghaziabad’s total geographical area is covered by forests. The total cover came down by almost 0.8% from the previous survey in 2017.“The location of the park is crucial. It is being constructed in one of the busiest and most polluted areas of the city. Once all the trees have grown, they will help mitigate the effects of air pollution,” Malik said.

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