After training the horticulture staff of several government departments and institutions in Delhi-NCR for over a decade, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)’s School of Gardening is planning to provide the same opportunity to Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) and market associations.
It targets to hold workshops so that they can contribute to beautifying their neighbourhood parks and markets with theme-based plantations and bettering the overall aesthetics of the place.
Satish Upadhyay, NDMC vice-chairman said, “The NDMC’s School of Garden is known for its proficiency in horticulture skills. Recently, 125 section officers and 100 malis of DDA were given training. Earlier, 200 malis of the erstwhile East Corporation were given training last year. Considering we have the facility in place a proposition will be given to the NDMC chairman to organize the training of RWA’S and market traders association in the NDMC area on terrace, kitchen, composting, and vertical gardening.”
“With its resources, NDMC can also organize crash courses in bonsai, flower arrangements, and vertical gardening for the general public,” said Upadhayay. “By learning these skills people can earn their livelihoods.”
In 2011, the School of Gardening was established to provide practical training to assist them to interact with the best horticulturists, gardeners, botanists, and foresters.
In 24 streams, it is known for providing training including layout and design of gardens, hydroponic farming, vertical gardening, and macro irrigation techniques through certified trainers,” said senior NDMC officials and experts.
Since its inception, officials have conducted several training programmes on the latest techniques and innovations, including for 2,000 staff of the erstwhile South Corporation, ITPO, and RMR workers of NDMC.
NDMC has a 64.5% green cover, six major gardens, and three international relationship memorial parks. In addition to this, there are five rose gardens, eight nurseries, three happiness parks, three hi-tech nurseries, 135 avenues of 270 km in length, 51 roundabouts, 24 vertical gardens at different locations, 123 residential parks and 500 CPWD colony parks.
The official said, “We have 1.8 lakh trees that are decades old and to monitor their health we have trained staff for tree surgery.”
In 2016-17, the school sent its senior officials and malis to Singapore, Belgium and China to get hold of practices adopted worldwide in horticulture.
An official said, “At these places, staff learnt the concept of tissue culture (in China), topiary and city landscaping (in Belgium), and vertical gardening of different sizes (in Singapore). The utilization of machines for tree surgery and hydroponic and aeroponic farming was also learnt in detail here.”
