New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has directed all land owning agencies that maintain parks and gardens in Delhi to plant 10,000 sandalwood trees during the monsoon season to monetise their land resource, an official statement said on Sunday.
The statement issued by L-G’s secretariat Raj Niwas said agencies like the Delhi Development Authority, MCD, Delhi Parks & Garden Society, Delhi Biodiversity Society and others have been advised to complete the plantation of sandalwood trees during the on-going monsoon season.
The directions came after Saxena visited the Sundar Nursery here on Sunday.
Saxena said apart from adding to the flora diversity and enriching the general environs, the plantation of sandalwood will lead to monetisation of government land and create “immense financial assets” for the land owing agencies in Delhi.
“A sandalwood tree matures in 12 to 15 years and as per the current rates, sells at Rs 12- 15 lakh each. At this rate, 10,000 sandalwood trees are estimated to fetch between Rs 12,000 -15,000 crore upon maturity,” the statement quoting the LG said.
He also appealed to farmers and small land holders apart from farm house owners in the city to plant at least four sandalwood trees.
He said sandalwood plantation will also create assets for self-sustainability, generate employment and support the Indian sandalwood, sandalwood oil and perfume industry that depends on importing large quantities of sandalwood oil and powder.
On his visit to the Sunder Nursery Complex on Sunday, the LG recounted his experience of successfully getting 2,000 sandalwood trees planted last year at different locations in Nasik, Varanasi, Gandhi Nagar as well as Delhi in his previous stint as the Chairman, KVIC, the statement said.
“The LG said contrary to refrain in certain circles that chandan trees cannot come up in climatic conditions present in Delhi and other locations in the country, all these trees, including the ones that he got planted at Rajghat in Delhi, had in an year not only survived, but robustly grown to a height of 9-10 feet,” the statement said.
—PTI

Press Trust of India