The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority is quite serious about not just the maintenance of its existing greens but also towards increasing its green cover Even as it is handing over parks, green belts and rotaries to corporates for maintenance, it is also inviting people to come and adopt plants. Last year, the GNIDA planted 2.51akh trees while the figure this year has already crossed 1.5 lakh.

For a month now, it has been holding camps for free distribution of plants in urban residential sectors, villages as well as industrial and commercial areas. And about 1,800 saplings have been given away in this manner. Plants are also being placed at each community cen- tre so that people get encouraged to plant these. "Our aim is that each person takes the responsibility of at least five plants," says A. M. Singh, Horticulture Manager, GNIDA. Besides, the authority maintains a 7.5-acre nursery where saplings are maintained and new varieties produced. At present annuals are being prepared here. In all there are over one-lakh saplings of over 50 species in this nursery, which act as a precursor to the entire green land in the city There is a huge stock of ornamental and permanent trees which are given free of cost to anyone wanting them, unlike in other cities where saplings are sold.

And no tree is planted without testing the soil of the area.

"Soil testing gives us the exact information about the kind of tree that will be able to survive in a particular area.

In fact, we have already mapped the entire this city so far as soil testing is concerned," he adds.

Another aspect that is taken care of is the kind of manure that is put in the soil. "We are very particular about this aspect. We mainly use cow dung manure since vermin-compost is not very effective," he says.

"In new sectors, like Sectors 36 and 37, we are also taking care that the parks are of uniform size and shape, unlike earlier when no attention was paid to this aspect. Moreover, proper landscaping is done for each green area, be it park, green belt, rotary or central verge," says Singh.

Meanwhile, rising to the demands of the day, the Noida Authority has decided to train the officials of the Horticulture Department in the newer techniques of developing and maintaining parks and green belts. The officials of the Horticulture Department will be taken around parks of Delhi for this.