According to a survey by the Delhi-based NIES (National Institute of Environment Studies), Kolkata is the least green among major cities. Here is a sample statistic:
Bangalore: 8.60 per cent, National Capital Region (New Delhi): 8.49 per cent, Greater Mumbai: 6.20 per cent, Chennai: 7.50 per cent…And the corresponding figure for Calcutta is a paltry 0.95 per cent. Read more.
If true – and there is no reason why it is not – then it’s surely a matter of grave concern. Apparently, the study is based on survey done at least 6 years back. NIES report states Kolkata’s 1999-2000 figure of 0.95% is in fact a deterioration from 1.3% in 1997-98. Who knows what the figure will be if the study is done today.
What is tragic is that Kolkata has all the ingredients necessary to have an abundance of greenery. Yet, as the survey shows, the city comes nowhere near other metros. Looking at government’s insistence to hold the boi-mela in maidan, thus rubbishing green-lovers’ concern, it doesn’t take long to understand where the disease lies.
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