Bengaluru: BDA Spent ₹12.5 Crore To Plant 15 Lakh Saplings For Guinness Record

The BDA spent ₹12.5 crore on a Bengaluru plantation drive to plant 15 lakh saplings in a single day as part of a bid for a Guinness World Record. The drive covered over 200 acres, with 23 NGOs engaged for sapling maintenance.

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) spent ₹12.5 crore on its ambitious plantation drive in June to plant 15 lakh saplings in a single day, with the aim of setting a Guinness World Record. The large-scale initiative covered more than 200 acres across major layouts in Bengaluru and involved the procurement, transportation and planting of thousands of saplings, along with arrangements for their upkeep and maintenance.

The details were shared by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in the Legislative Assembly while responding to a question raised by SR Vishwanath, BJP MLA from Yelahanka constituency.

According to the Chief Minister, the total expenditure of ₹12.5 crore included the cost of purchasing and transporting the saplings, hiring professional Guinness World Records consultants, developing a digital platform and promoting the plantation drive.

Breakdown Of The 15 Lakh Saplings

For the plantation drive, the BDA procured saplings in three broad categories.

Around 5 lakh common local tree saplings were purchased at ₹54.70 each. Another 3 lakh saplings, including shrubs and medicinal plants, were procured at ₹45 each.

The remaining 7.5 lakh saplings belonged to Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) species.

To ensure the saplings survive and receive regular care, the BDA has also engaged 23 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for their upkeep and maintenance.

Where Did The Saplings Come From?

The BDA sourced the 15 lakh saplings, comprising around 350 varieties, from two main suppliers.

Ishan Native Plants, based in Kondashettihalli near Hesaraghatta, supplied 10.5 lakh saplings. The remaining 5 lakh saplings were supplied by Shivanna, a supplier from Makali in Channapatna taluk of Ramanagara district.

Plantation Sites

The large-scale plantation drive was carried out across more than 200 acres in three major layouts in Bengaluru.

In Kempegowda Layout and Banashankari 6th Stage, a total of 8,29,251 saplings were planted across 103.6 acres.

In Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout in Yelahanka, 7,31,350 saplings were planted across 94.7 acres.

The plantation drive was part of the BDA's efforts to increase Bengaluru's green cover while attempting to set a Guinness World Record for large-scale tree plantation.

One point to verify before publication: The figures given for the two plantation locations total 15,60,601 saplings, which is higher than the stated overall figure of 15 lakh. If these numbers come directly from the Assembly response, it would be worth checking the original figures before publishing.