Vertical gardens, vending zones to come up under flyovers in Ambala

Aimed at improving the beautification under the flyovers on the national highways near city areas, the local bodies in Ambala have come out with a plan to set up vertical gardens and vending zones under the flyovers in Ambala.

As per the information, following the directions of the Municipal Commissioner, Ambala, Sachin Gupta, four locations have been finalised in Ambala City, Ambala Cantonment and Barara for four vertical gardens and two vending zones by the municipal bodies concerned.

While a vertical garden and vending zone will be developed under Baldev Nagar flyover, and a vertical garden under the flyover at Kalka Chowk in Ambala City, a vertical garden and vending zone will be setup under the flyover near the bus stand in Ambala Cantonment. Another vertical garden will be set at Mullana Chowk in Barara, while a location in Naraingarh is being explored since there was no flyover in the city area. A budget of over Rs 1.5 crore is to be spent on the vertical gardens.

An official said, “Projects are under technical scrutiny, the tenders are likely to be floated in February and by April the work will be done. The vertical gardens will help in beautification of the city. The contractor firm will maintain the vertical gardens for three years, and then the annual maintenance contracts will be given by the Municipal Corporation concerned and the Municipal Council and Municipal Committees in the district. For the vending zones, small kiosks will be setup in the vending zone for which designs are being prepared.”

For the project, earlier this month, the rehris and kiosks under the flyover near the bus stand were removed because the food and juice vendors and other vendors used to park their rehris at their whims and fancy, creating traffic congestion and present a poor picture of the entry point of the Ambala Cantonment. The vendors were adjusted on the same stretch.

Sachin Gupta said, “To enhance the beauty, greenery and improve the aesthetics of the city, it was decided that vertical gardens and vending zones will be set up under the flyovers on the national highways. The vertical gardens will help the local bodies in improving the air quality. The projects will also help in achieving a good ranking in the Swachh Survekshan.”

“The officials are coordinating with the National Highways Authority of India for the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the vending zone and vertical gardens as all locations are on the national highways. While the NOC for the Ambala Cantonment project has been received the remaining are in process. The projects will be completed by April”, he added.