New Town vertical gardens go to save metro pillars
Times of India | 14 July 2024
Kolkata: NKDA has stripped the New Town metro piers of the vertical gardens after the Metro Railway authorities expressed concerns over the damage that the weight of the plants and regular watering might cause to the pillars.
Metro officials also said the pillars should not be camouflaged but kept “free” for inspections so that remedial measures could be taken if any structural damage was detected.
An NKDA official conceded that the vertical garden plants had been removed from most of pillars of Airport-New Garia Metro in New Town following objections from metro officials. “We had earlier sought permission from them to set up the vertical garden and maintain it. While they permitted it earlier, they did not give us permission to continue with the garden, citing maintenance concerns,” said the official
Structural engineers similarly expressed concerns over billboards fixed against piers of the AJC Bose Road flyover that not only prevented access to a porthole located in it but also hindered visual inspection.
Civil engineers have, however, questioned the reasons cited by Metro Rail for the vertical gardens’ removal. They pointed out that the pillars were built to bear the load of trains, compared to which the weight of vertical gardens was negligible. They also ruled out any long-term damage caused by watering, as water could not seep into the concrete. Some green activists expressed apprehension that the move was perhaps taken to enable installation of billboards that would garner revenue.
As part of a beautification project, the vertical gardens were set up six years ago on piers along New Town’s Major Arterial Road. Officials had felt the greenery would help reduce heat and pollution and improve the environment. Over 300 plants, including various ferns and flowering plants, which required little water and low maintenance, were planted in pots, strung up on the pillars up to a height of 30 ft. The NKDA was in charge of watering and maintaining the plants.
However, following the Metro Rail authorities’ request to remove the garden, Hidco stopped watering the plants, which wilted and withered in the summer heat. After the greenery dried up, the pillars, which once looked attractive, turned into an eyesore. NKDA is now removing the pots and will again paint the pillars.