Supplying green cover for city

In a city that is fast losing its touch of green cover, given the high concretisation all over, this patch of land at Erragadda stands out for its endeavours at restoring the green balance.

At the nursery of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), from carefully selected seedlings, saplings are raised and once grown, sent to different parts of the city to line up the streets, afforestation and also to green various campuses.

Spread over eight acres, the Tall Plant Nursery alongside the Institute of Mental Health boasts of what could be one of the largest collections of tall plants in these parts. Started in the year 1986, it has been instrumental in raising and dispatching various plant species to all over the city from campuses to various highways leading out here. Forest species and those meant for ornamental and avenue plantation are all grown here and the available plants range from few inch saplings to several feet high. “We have a total of 30 species in different sizes and some among the tallest are 12 feet Raavi (Ficus religiosa),” says P. Rajender Reddy, Director, HMDA Urban Forestry.

In various stages of their lives, the saplings and plants arrayed at this nursery count to more than 4,23,000 which makes it a rare collection. Even as some get dispatched for plantation to different locations, more are raised on a continuous basis. It is a round-the-year exercise for the nursery staff and starts with seed origin. “Seeds come in different seasons and we keep collecting as per their availability and subject them to viability. Those found right are then sown into small bags and as they grow, shifted to bigger ones,” says Mr. Reddy.

Priced in a range of Rs.5 to Rs.150 per sapling based on their growth, the species available here include some not-so-easily available ones such as ‘Sita Ashoka’ and ‘Naga Linga’ while a ‘Maredu’ or ‘Bilva’ (Aegle marmelos) can be acquired at Rs.55.

Not just institutions or government agencies, even individuals come to pick up different saplings from the nursery which has a menu with a wide offering from Neem (Azadirachta indica) to Pagoda (Mimusops elengi) and Silver Oak (Grevillea robusta). “There is good demand for Neem and we do not have adequate stocks. We are now increasing its availability,” Mr. Reddy adds.