100 acre forest to come up in Ghaziabad city

Ghaziabad, June 28 (IANS) Ghaziabad will have a 100 acre forest with civic authorities, after strengthening the city's connectivity system, planning to set up a natural habitat to alleviate the concretization and unchecked inflow of population from across the country, an official said Saturday.

"Being strategically located the Ghaziabad city is the first choice for the migratory population which had put a heavy load on its infrastructure. So to oxygenate them and to make the city a 'healthy town' the authority planned to develop the forest on its abandoned land on Hindon river bed.

"For an over a 100 acre forest with 50,000 trees of different varieties as well as a bamboo garden, medicinal garden, organic cultivation, trees like peepal, banyan and Jamun are being planted here in this area adjoining the air force station," said Ghaziabad Development Authority's vice chairman Santosh Yadav.

After feeling the need for such a natural habitat, the GDA decided to incur the expenditure of Rs. 15 crore on the purpose and arrange a journalists' trip to the upcoming forest alongside Hindon river adjoining the already developed Kanha Upvan, a cattle ground set up by the municipal corporation.

Giving details of the city forest, Yadav said: "The city lungs are being developed to oxygenate the highly growing population of the city. Being strategically located on the zero kilometre distance from the national capital, the inflow of the migration is very high in the Ghaziabad region. The reason for migration is the city's location being situated on two important railway tracks and three national highways.

"It suits office-goers to travel up and down in any part of the national capital region. So in view of assessing the need of such city lungs the authority decided to work on developing a natural habitat to all creatures after signing the memorandum of understanding with Delhi Rail Metro Rail Corporation," he said.

The forest would contain a lake, and two ponds where the cow dung would be utilized to nurture the trees. The medicinal trees would be, exclusively, planted over 5 acres as well as long-living like neem, peepal in the area.

To make eco-friendly, no brick work would be carried in the area and the roads would be built of red sand.

A deer park would also be developed for the children, while simultaneously security measures would also have be taken in view of inflow of some wild animals, said Yadav, adding some neelgai (blackbucks) have already found a habitat in the upcoming forest.