Description 
The city is all set to get greener. The Noida Authority has set a target of adding nearly 500 acres of green cover to the city in the current financial year. At present, the city's greenery is 18% of its total area, which will rise to 20% with the addition of the 500 acres.
Officials said work on 27 new parks has already begun this year. "We have allocated Rs 50 crore to increase the green cover. The budget allocation of the horticulture department has also been increased to maintain existing parks and green belts," Rama Raman, the chairperson and CEO of Noida Authority, told TOI on October 27.
"Free plants and saplings of fruit trees and shrubs are also being distributed to anyone who is interested in undertaking plantation. Our aim is to make Noida the greenest and cleanest city," Raman said. "We urge people not only to plant more trees but also to nurture them and to help them grow to their full potential. This would go a long way in preserving the natural resource and enhancing our green cover," he added.
In July this year, Noida set a record of sorts. During a massive plantation drive, stakeholders from various walks of life came out to plant 1,10,000 trees on a single day. After that, another additional 40,000 trees and 5 lakh shrubs were also planted across Noida's city scape.
"We have identified 176 spots for extending green belts across Noida," said Omveer Singh, the director of horticulture, Noida. "Currently, we have 1,152 acres of green belt. This year, we will enhance it by 139 acres. The trees will also be planted along 110km of roadsides by March 2016," he added.
The Authority has earmarked an additional 180 acres of land for city parks, including parks in residential colonies and institutional areas, where new saplings are being planted. Two clover leaf flyovers in Noida have also been greened, besides roadside traffic islands and green belts.
"Work on the parks has already started. The 27 new parks will be developed between one acre and 29 acres of land. These parks will come up in sectors 57, 77, 90, 100, 112, 116, 120, 122, 136, 143B, 149 and 153," Singh said.
Authority officials said the parks will have clusters of medicinal plants, including neem, arjun, amaltas, ashok, palms and coconut, and medicinal shrubs, including tulsi, lavender, aloe vera, hibiscus and sunflower. Additionally, the Authority plans to construct one of the biggest theme parks of NCR on 42 acres of land in Sector 150. Nearly 80% of this sector is green.
The Noida Authority is also developing a herbal garden in Sector 91 over 29 acres. About 25,000 trees and plants with healing properties will be planted across nearly 30 acres of green expanse. "The aim of the park is to create awareness about plants and their healing properties. The garden will be equipped with clusters of medicinal plants," Raman said.
The Times of India, Delhi/NCR
