A man-made jungle’s coming up in Malad and it’s not concrete
BMC acquires a large land parcel near Infiniti Mall to create a forest garden.
Think Malad and things that immediately come to mind are frustrating traffic jams, narrow lanes, massive malls, and rows and rows of housing colonies. In less than a year, however, the suburb will get a manmade ‘forest’ that’s been ‘planted’ on a six-and-a-half acre plot near Infiniti Mall off the busy Malad Link Road.
In what could turn out to be a pathbreaking project to be replicated across the city, the plot, which has been lying unused for years and which was recently acquired by BMC, will get around 4,500 trees including palm trees, medicinal shrubs and trees, and flowering trees. The plot will also house open gymnasiums, an amphitheatre, a lotus pond and a walking track criss-crossing through.
“From the time we demanded that BMC take over this plot, we had insisted that we didn’t want another run-of-themill park here. Then we came up with this idea of creating a forest garden wherein every inch of this huge plot will be utilised in such manner that the plot resembles a mini forest with various varieties of plants and trees,” Shaikh said.
A civic official from P North Ward, where the plot is located, said the project has been divided into sections. “There will be a section where only palm trees will be planted, while one patch of the plot has been earmarked for flowering trees. A lotus pond has been planned at the centre of the plot, and will be surrounded by fruit trees and evergreen avenue trees,” the official said. The pond will have 10 varieties of lotus, and zones have been earmarked for medicinal shrubs, trees and ‘Konkan flora’.
“As many as 16 types of palm trees are being procured, including some from Andhra Pradesh. We will also have mango trees, guava, jamun, jackfruit and ficus trees that will attract birds,” the BMC official said. BMC said that the project could be completed in around eight months, and entry to the forest garden will be free of cost. Assistant Municipal Commissioner (P North) Devendra Kumar Jain said, “It will be a unique project wherein such variety of trees could be found in one place. It could become a major tourist spot.”
Shazad Rustomji, president of ALM Mindspace Malad, said the burgeoning city needed such projects. “The residents are happy that this stretch in Malad, which is closer to the creek and also accommodates plenty of malls and buildings, will get a green patch with 4,500 trees. People here are subjected to high levels of pollution and such steps will only make this locality livable,” Rustomji said.
“The idea is to bring people closer to nature,” Shaikh said. “The plot is in the middle of a concrete jungle, which makes it even more important to create green space. We also plan to create a section to attract butterflies,” he said.
Think Malad and things that immediately come to mind are frustrating traffic jams, narrow lanes, massive malls, and rows and rows of housing colonies. In less than a year, however, the suburb will get a manmade ‘forest’ that’s been ‘planted’ on a six-and-a-half acre plot near Infiniti Mall off the busy Malad Link Road.
In what could turn out to be a pathbreaking project to be replicated across the city, the plot, which has been lying unused for years and which was recently acquired by BMC, will get around 4,500 trees including palm trees, medicinal shrubs and trees, and flowering trees. The plot will also house open gymnasiums, an amphitheatre, a lotus pond and a walking track criss-crossing through.
The project, simply called ‘forest garden’, has been conceptualised by the area’s MLA, Aslam Shaikh, who wanted something more than just another garden in the area. The entire project will cost around Rs 80 lakh, and already 3,100 tree saplings have been planted.
“From the time we demanded that BMC take over this plot, we had insisted that we didn’t want another run-of-themill park here. Then we came up with this idea of creating a forest garden wherein every inch of this huge plot will be utilised in such manner that the plot resembles a mini forest with various varieties of plants and trees,” Shaikh said.
A civic official from P North Ward, where the plot is located, said the project has been divided into sections. “There will be a section where only palm trees will be planted, while one patch of the plot has been earmarked for flowering trees. A lotus pond has been planned at the centre of the plot, and will be surrounded by fruit trees and evergreen avenue trees,” the official said. The pond will have 10 varieties of lotus, and zones have been earmarked for medicinal shrubs, trees and ‘Konkan flora’.
“As many as 16 types of palm trees are being procured, including some from Andhra Pradesh. We will also have mango trees, guava, jamun, jackfruit and ficus trees that will attract birds,” the BMC official said. BMC said that the project could be completed in around eight months, and entry to the forest garden will be free of cost. Assistant Municipal Commissioner (P North) Devendra Kumar Jain said, “It will be a unique project wherein such variety of trees could be found in one place. It could become a major tourist spot.”
Shazad Rustomji, president of ALM Mindspace Malad, said the burgeoning city needed such projects. “The residents are happy that this stretch in Malad, which is closer to the creek and also accommodates plenty of malls and buildings, will get a green patch with 4,500 trees. People here are subjected to high levels of pollution and such steps will only make this locality livable,” Rustomji said.
“The idea is to bring people closer to nature,” Shaikh said. “The plot is in the middle of a concrete jungle, which makes it even more important to create green space. We also plan to create a section to attract butterflies,” he said.
