CHANDIGARH, July 2 — Facing mounting backlash from city councillors and residents, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has withdrawn its ₹1.86 crore tender floated for the procurement of saplings and instead adopted a cost-effective, sponsorship-based model for its citywide plantation campaign.
The decision follows criticism during the recent general house meeting, where councillors, led by Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, questioned the civic body’s financial priorities. They highlighted that the MC is already under strain to maintain roads and pay staff salaries, and that alternative sources for saplings—including MC nurseries and the UT forest department—remain underutilized.
“We are struggling to maintain roads and pay staff salaries. There is no need for such expensive purchases when cheaper alternatives exist,” councillors said during Monday’s meeting.
The plantation initiative is part of a larger directive from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has ordered the Chandigarh administration to plant five lakh trees, of which 1.5 lakh fall under the MC’s mandate. In June, the civic body had proposed purchasing saplings—specifically those over six feet tall—at a total cost of ₹1.86 crore. But the proposal was shelved following sustained opposition.
Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar confirmed the shift in approach. “The tender was initially floated because tall saplings weren’t available in MC nurseries. But after deliberations, we decided to carry out the plantation with the help of CSR partners. So far, we’ve secured ₹1.25 crore in support and are continuing to engage with institutions,” he said.
This model mirrors the civic body’s successful Rose Festival sponsorship earlier this year, where ₹60 lakh was raised from around 15 sponsors in exchange for advertising rights.
The plantation drive is set to begin this week, with areas like the Dadumajra dumping ground among the first to be targeted. Notably, the campaign will feature a digital monitoring system, with each sapling being geotagged to enable real-time tracking of its location and growth. The aim is to ensure better post-plantation care and higher survival rates.
Chandigarh administration officials said the city currently has a sapling survival rate of 50% to 60%, and over the past seven years, the green cover has risen by 9%.
By turning to a CSR-based model, the MC hopes to boost urban greenery without straining public finances, while aligning civic campaigns with environmentally conscious private entities.
