Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has directed officials to plant fruit trees to minimise human-animal conflict and monkey menace in the city, the Raj Niwas said on Tuesday.

Chairing an inter-departmental meeting to review the plantation exercise in the national capital, the LG brought up the ongoing heat wave as he underlined that there can be no compromise with plantation, afforestation and reforestation.

"We had already passed the critical tripping point and there could be no further complacency in this matter," Saxena said.

The directions issued by the LG include planting of fruiting trees, such as bananas that start bearing fruit in a short time and guavas, java plum, and mangoes, among others in the ridge and other forested areas to ensure that monkeys and birds deprived of their habitat and food are provided for, according to an official statement.

This, he said, will apart from minimising man-animal conflict, also ensure controlling the monkey menace in the city apart from addressing the issue of traffic snarls due to feeding of such animals by people on roads, it stated.

He issued the directions to the Delhi government departments of Environment and Forests, Irrigation and Flood Control, and Public Works Departments, among others.

"No plantation to be carried out on footpaths and as far as possible, efforts be made to plant trees on the central verges. Agencies to take up stretches where treated water pipelines could be installed on the central verges and sprinklers be attached to them," the release said.

This will ensure that the plants are watered at site and pollution and traffic jam caused by watering through mobile tankers is done away with, it added.

Saplings should be distributed to people free of cost and RWAs should be brought onboard to ensure plantation and further monitoring of the growth, the LG said.

Plantation should be done along railway tracks and the boundary of school premises, he said.

"The DDA and NDMC should ensure that at least 90 per cent survival rate is achieved and maintained in the plantations that are done," the statement said.

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