Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

GMDA Joins Hands with Private Players to Maintain Green Belts Across Gurugram

Competitions should be arranged between the companies for ranking the "best maintained" green belts, says Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar
December 27, 2021
gurugram

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is stepping up efforts to tie up with private companies to increase the efficiency in maintaining green belts across Gurugram. According to the top officials, the Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, who is also the Chairman of the GMDA, gave the directions of the initiative during the authority’s meeting.

During the meeting, CM Khattar suggested that the responsibility of maintaining green belts be increasingly given to private companies. The belts will be allocated to them for maintenance and to focus on horticulture development. He added that the competitions should be arranged between the companies as well for ranking the “best maintained” green belts on various parameters.

“We have Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with companies interested in maintaining green belts as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Overall, 60 MoUs have been signed, several of which are for green belts. This work is already being done and if a company is found to not be maintained as per required standards, we will cancel the MoU following a review after three months,” said a senior GMDA official.

“However, it is not easy to get people to undertake such projects. When an institution or company has a green belt near their location, they are still willing to undertake the work because they also benefit from it, but nobody wants to maintain a belt if it is not in their area. However, we are willing to give such responsibility to anyone who comes forward, so that they at least maintain what is near their location,” added the official.

Apart from roping in companies to maintain green belts, officials said that the chairman has also directed that roads be identified each month for beautification of green belts, which should afterwards be kept well maintained. Manohar Lal Khattar further directed that efforts be stepped up to remove encroachments.