Pune forest dept to develop garden on 5-acre plot

The forest department will develop a garden on five acres of land near Van Bhavan next to Nakshatra Garden.

N R Praveen, chief conservator of forest, in a press conference on Thursday, said, “The department will plant indigenous trees with the help of volunteers. We will take care of these plants for the next five years. People will be able to track the plantation with their name tag and can visit the garden at any time of the year.”

“The garden will not only help in increasing green cover but also for conserving the forest land from encroachment and waste dumping,” said Deepak Pawar, assistant conservator of forest, Pune division.

Vrukshathon to be held on June 9

The forest department with the help of other partners have organised ‘Vrukshathon’, a half marathon. This marathon will be conducted on June 9 and it has various race categories, including a half marathon (21 km - eco-endurance run), 10 km (The green sprint), 5 km (Nature’s dream run), and a 3 km fun walk for children and senior citizens. So far at least 2,000 participants have registered for the same and the last date for the application is May 31.

“Each participant will take back a tree sapling to plant. Those unable to take the tree sapling home, can donate their sapling to our Vrukshathon Garden, where we will care for it for years to come, said Tushar Chavan, deputy conservator of forest (wildlife), Pune forest division.