The palm is preparing to take away the calm.
Palm trees, planted in the various parks and memorial built during Ms Mayawati’s rule, have thrown open yet another major scam — this time of international standards.
According to official sources, nearly 37,000 palm trees were imported from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh for the parks and monuments and a sum of `37.27 crores was paid. Of these, nearly 25,000 palm trees have been planted in various parks and monuments in Lucknow alone while the rest have been planted in Noida and Badalpur — at least on paper. Some of the palm trees, 10 to 15 feet tall, were purchased from Rajasthan as well and payment was made at the rate of `25,000 per tree against the normal rate of `5,000 per tree.
A sum of `9,990 per tree was paid to two contractors for planting the tree in monuments in Lucknow, Noida and Badalpur, which is Ms Mayawati’s native village, informed a source.
Interestingly, on the past two years, only 10 per cent of the palm trees have survived while the rest have died. Replacement for the “dead” trees were again imported and hundreds of unplanted trees are still lying in dump yards.
“This had to happen because no expert guidance was ever taken for the plantation. Palm trees need a sandy soil and a particular climate to thrive. Here, they were planted and the roots were ‘locked in’ with interlocking tiles and stone slabs,” said a senior botanist from the Lucknow University.
Incidentally, the state forest department was not involved in the exercise of palm tree plantation and the work was undertaken by the Rajkiya Nirman Nigam. The questions arises that why did the government chose to plant palm trees instead of other trees like “neem” and “gulmohar that thrive in the UP climate.
“The then chief minister Mayawati was shown photographs of Dubai by some officers who were keen on importing palm trees. She was told that other local trees shed leaves during autumn which would mar the cleanliness of the monuments,” said an officer.
Meanwhile, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday that the scam was of unimaginable proportions. “Hundreds of palm trees are still lying dumped in Jiamau area (near the Ambedkar memorial) and hundreds have been dumped in ponds,” he said.