Special project to beautify capital

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Islamabad—Capital Development Authority (CDA) has focused its attention to making Islamabad a city of flowers and laid multi-coloured flowerbeds on medians and roadsides.

The Authority has started a special project to plant maximum flowers at roadside, medians and parks across the city along with announcing an amount of Rs 800 million for environmental up- gradation of the Federal Capital.

Talking to mediamen, an official of CDA informed that intermediary spring is going on and the CDA is currently planting three varieties of marigolds.

This particular specie would continue beautifying the city till November and be replaced by spring flowers of petunia, pansy and antirrhinum varieties.

CDA usually purchases seeds from authorised dealers of multi- national companies producing hybrid seeds through cross-pollinated plants.

The size and colour of the flower can be changed through hybrid seeding process, enabling it to survive in a particular atmosphere, the official said.

The Authority prepares nurseries of these flowers in its own 40-acre facility where around two dozen experts work round the clock.

The CDA has planted marigold flowers on Constitution Avenue, Margalla Road, Jinnah Avenue, 7th and 9th Avenues, Golra Intersection, Murree Road and Faizabad so far.

The CDA spends around Rs 14 million on purchase of seeds for both flower seasons.

About 100 staffers of the Environment Directorate have exclusively been assigned the task of plantation across.

The CDA prefers to plant indigenous varieties due to the extreme weather as “We have 20 frosty nights in Islamabad that proves harmful for the delicate flowers,”the official said.

The Rose and Jasmine Garden has 30,000 rose plants of 600 varieties and five varieties of jasmine. However, the CDA cannot afford to import the remaining eight varieties of jasmine because all of them are not produced in a single country, the official said.

He said the new varieties of rose are planted through grafting that is mostly done in UK where a grafted plant is sold for 25 to 30 pounds.

Besides, the CDA has also increased the number of tree planted from 0.4 million to one million annually.