After Flowers Now Bamboos For Delhi: Gameplan 2010

If you don’t see it, it doesn’t exist. That seems to be the view of the authorities as they spruce up the Capital for next October’s Commonwealth Games.

Besides placing nearly 60 lakh potted plants around all Games venues and stadiums, here’s the latest: the Delhi government is now looking at planting bamboo trees along roads leading to Games hotspots.

Reason: to screen the slums and garbage along the roads that will be frequented by visitors and athletes taking part in the Games.

The directive to ‘screen’ areas along roads leading to Games venues was reportedly given to the government during a meeting held with Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi and Minister of state for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor earlier this week.

“It was decided to consider the option (since) bamboo trees are tall and shady,” Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said. He said the Public Works Department (PWD) is in charge of carrying out the plan, as most sections are under its jurisdiction.

The department is meanwhile consulting the National Bamboo Mission and National Mission of Bamboo Application to see whether planting bamboos is feasible in the city.

“We also need to see how feasible it is to sustain the trees once the Games are over,” PWD Secretary K K Sharma, who visited the Mission on Friday, said. “We have floated the idea to them (officials at bamboo mission) and asked them to get back with feedback within a week.”

Incidentally, the Delhi government recently inaugurated a bamboo park with nearly 35 species in Garhi Mandu, near the Yamuna bank, in consultation with the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute.

The tallest members of the grass family, bamboos are supposed to be the fastest-growing trees, growing about 60 centimetres a day.

The government is spending around Rs 260 crore on beautifying areas within a 2-km radius of all Commonwealth Games venues. This aside, the municipal corporation will spend about Rs 67 crore to construct pedestrian and cycle tracks along 12 roads leading to Games venues.