AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is poised to introduce significant greening initiatives aimed at enhancing the urban environment, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel set to present the draft policies on July 19.
The new ‘Greening Policy Measures for a Greener Ahmedabad’ mandates that all new town planning schemes allocate 5% of the total land for green cover.
Within this allocation, 1% must be specifically designated for urban forests using the Miyawaki technique, which allows for rapid and dense planting. This policy extends existing state government requirements.
Previously, the state’s Town Planning Act permitted a maximum of 5% land reservation for parks and gardens; now, this requirement is compulsory.
Both the greening policy and the related ‘Policy for Good Construction Practices’ will be implemented on Friday. The AMC plans to form an urban greening advisory committee that will include senior officials, urban planners, environmental specialists, community leaders, NGO representatives, and industry members, including Credai, builders associations, GIDC, and educational institutions.
This committee will offer guidance and suggestions on enhancing and maintaining the city’s green cover.
Ward-level committees will work to tackle local implementation obstacles, encouraging both public and private properties to engage in tree-planting efforts.
Various green infrastructure projects will be established across the city, such as oxygen parks, rain gardens, rooftop gardens, lake gardens, urban forests, ecological parks, and biodiversity parks.
The penalties for illegal tree cutting will see increases, requiring anyone who cuts a tree to plant 10 new ones within three years and pay a deposit of Rs 5,000 per tree, alongside additional fines for environmental harm. There will be specific requirements for new road development projects, requiring roads wider than 24 metres to feature 1.50-metre-wide dividers for planting, with original soil preservation being mandatory.
Footpaths will need designated tree planting spaces every 5 metres, with circular tree pits of 1 metre for wider roads and 2.5×2.5-foot pits for narrower streets.
The policy also prohibits altering the designated use of plots set aside for gardens, urban forests, or other green spaces in town planning schemes, ensuring the long-term safeguarding of green infrastructure.
The city’s first BRTS on-route charging station will be inaugurated at the July 19 event, and AMC’s solid waste management department staff will be recognized for achieving first place in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25.
