An Open Letter To Odisha Speaker — Be The Lighthouse Of Environment

Speaker Sir, on becoming the 21st Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly, I’m sure you will safeguard democracy as well as Constitution of India. Today, on this auspicious day, I would like to bring to your notice something about your previous assignment as Minister of Forest & Environment.

Just opposite to the office where you will be seating, a massive disruption in Bhubaneswar Urban Ecosystem took place with massive destruction of green infrastructure, leading to chopping of over 800 trees.

Well, the site is popularly known as MLA Colony, a part of Capital City Plan of 16.48 sq km neighbourhood plan to ensure people’s representatives will able to reach State assembly by walking or cycling. But over the years, no one walks or uses the bicycle to go to the State assembly. Thus, there was no necessity to bulldoze existing residential blocks whose design was based on caves and temples, or chop off green canopy.

Perhaps the whole site should have been preserved as Capital city heritage zone, as Bhubaneswar will be celebrating 75 years in less than 300 days. This would have added value to the city’s journey to World Heritage city. New MLAs could have been relocated to a place where damage to environment would have been less.

The biodiversity that was lost can’t be revived, neither can the residences bulldozed into dust. But the remaining buildings should be preserved, there should be no more chopping of trees and the project should be shifted to new locations while existing location be gifted to the public with a new way of understanding urbanisation, like Singapore did in recent years.

Yes, I am talking about an imposing canopy of artificial trees up to 50 metres high, towering over a vast urban oasis. The colossal solar-powered supertrees are found in Bay South Garden, part of a 250-acre landscaping project — Gardens by the Bay — that is an initiative by Singapore’s National Parks Board that sees cultivation of flora and fauna from foreign lands.

The man-made mechanical forest consists of 18 supertrees that act as vertical gardens, generating solar power, acting as air-venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater. To generate electricity, 11 of the supertrees are fitted with solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into energy, which provides lighting and aids water technology within the conservatories below.

Varying between 25 and 50 metres in height, each supertree features tropical flowers and various ferns climbing across its steel framework. The large canopies also operate as temperature moderators, absorbing and dispersing heat, as well as providing shelter from the hot temperatures of Singapore’s climate to visitors walking beneath.

Singapore did it as part of a redevelopment scheme to create a new downtown district in the Marina Bay Area, so that Gardens by the Bay becomes an eco-tourist destination showcasing sustainable practices and plants from across the globe. It can be imagined in the core of Bhubaneswar.

Bridges dubbed ‘skywalks’ have been erected connecting several of the higher 50-metre supertrees (same height as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris), letting visitors stroll between them and view the gardens from dizzying heights.

The horticultural heaven also boasts two green conservatories in close proximity — the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, climate-controlled biomes inspired by the shape of an orchid flower, which project organizers hope will become the park’s main attractions.

The size of biomes are equivalent to four football fields and will become the new home for 220,000 plants from almost every continent. These are some of the only areas where an admission fee is charged — approximately US$22 (S$28) for holiday-makers or US$16 (S$20) for Singapore residents.

More than just futuristic-looking structures, the supertrees present a bold new way to grow and display plants. Come closer and be amazed by these intricate vertical gardens. Showcasing a diverse selection of flora accented by gorgeous bromeliads, ferns, orchids and tropical climbers, the super trees will delight any plant lover.

* The tallest Supertree is about the height of a 16-storeyed building

* Supertrees are sustainable vertical gardens housing over 162,900 plants of over 200 species

* The nightly Garden Rhapsody shows use 68 independent audio speakers

* 7 of the Supertrees are designed to harvest solar energy

One of the sustainable features of the Flower Dome is that horticultural waste feeds a massive steam turbine and generates the electricity on-site to help maintain the cool temperatures of the biome.

However, the supertrees and biomes only make up 5% of the multimillion-dollar landscaping development. The remainder of the Bay South garden will pay homage to the ethnic makeup of the country.

In the Heritage Gardens, visitors can explore the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Colonial-themed areas and learn about the links between plants and Singapore’s history. Surrounding these cultural green spaces in the rest of the 103-acre Bay South park are sprawling areas complete with lakes and bridges.

The horticultural oasis stands in contrast to the country’s extremely dense urban environment, forming part of the government’s overall strategy to transform Singapore into a ‘city in a garden.”

Hopefully in your tenure as Speaker of State Assembly, you will set lighthouse for members of State legislative assembly as well as inhabitants of Bhubaneswar city at large.