Indore loses green space; trees turn to dust

Indore: There was a time when Indore was known as the ‘Garden City.’ Currently, the city has been facing severe issues like pollution, ‘poor’ air quality, and heatwaves, and the most important is the fading of the city’s green glory. Dust and smoke have created havoc for the residents. There was a time when a huge number of trees stood, but gradually they are vanishing.

Experts believe that it was a planned destruction of the city’s greenery. Once famous for pleasant weather, but now things have changed. In spite of warnings from citizens and other organizations, the authorities are not in a mood to listen to anything. Therefore, trees are cut in huge numbers, which has decreased green spaces. The result is the increase of air pollution.

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Several areas of the city were named after the trees and gardens due to the huge green belts. Environmentalist O.P. Joshi said that localities such as Imli Bazaar, Khajuri Bazaar, Pipli Bazaar, and Barwali Chowki got their names because trees of such species were found in huge numbers in these areas. Several other places in the city, like Lalbagh, Manikbagh, and Kesarbagh, were packed with greenery. The city has a special colony called “Mali Mohalla” for gardeners. They used to maintain these gardens.

Many gardens of Indore, such as Bakshi Bagh, Ram Bagh, and Chhatri Bagh, were the pride of this city. But with the passing of time, numerous gardens have disappeared, and several residential colonies are constructed on these green spaces. At present, the city is struggling with the air quality issue and heat due to the loss of green heritage. Only old memories are alive, and nothing else.