A total of 1.8 lakh litres of water, brought by 20 loads every day, helps Rajiv Gandhi Salai retain its lush green medians with hundreds of palm trees, umbrella trees and copper pod trees, and 20 varieties of shrubs and plants.
“Due to lack of rain, we are using treated sewage procured from Metrowater to water the medians, spending ₹1.5 lakh every month,” said a source in the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company.
Regular care
When the IT Corridor was planned, greenery on the 2-m-wide median was factored in, and with regular care and maintenance over the last 11 years, the road today has 44,000 sq m of greenery. There over 38 labourers and five supervisory staff who maintain the road, applying organic manure once in six months and spraying pesticide every Saturday.
“Though the road has several stretches that have cattle, they don’t eat the plants, since we planted varieties that don’t attract them. Similarly, there are points where pedestrians cross and we have left one-metre-wide spaces to allow them to cross without trampling on the plants. Since people throw food and waste on the median, the plants are prone to pest attacks, so we spray pesticides regularly,” an official source explained.
K. Guru, a resident of Mettukuppam, said more trees should be planted on the medians in the stretch between SRP Tolls and Siruseri. “There are trees on the Madhya Kailash stretch and they prevent glare coming from vehicles in the opposite direction. The road also needs more trees on the sides. Many trees were cut when the OMR was laid,” he said.
