Sudarshan Kumar Maiti, patron of Bidhannagar Horticultural Society and gardening columnist of The Telegraph Salt Lake passed away on March 31. He had been hospitalised for a week at a Kankurgachhi nursing home for pulmonary problems. Maiti was 85 years old and is survived by his wife and daughter.

A resident of FC Block, Maiti was a civil engineer with a green thumb. He spent the final years of his service on “Salt Lake Project” on behalf of the government since 1977 and was entrusted with the work of tree plantation in avenues, parks and gardens.

Maiti was one of the founders of the Bidhannagar Horticultural Society, that celebrated its silver jubilee last year. “Maitida was the pillar of our society. He had in depth knowledge of plants and was always ready to help us,” said Arijit Poddar, secretary of the society.

For The Telegraph Salt Lake, he had been a columnist since 2005, having shared tips on growing different kinds of plants in our gardens. He was currently writing a series on cacti.