City planners Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) have decided to take up a massive tree plantation drive in the second capital of Maharashtra with orange trees to retain its Orange city tag in the true sense.

About 1.40 lakh trees at a cost of Rs 11.50 crores would be planted in plots and areas developed by NIT soon, its Chairman Praveen Darade told reporters here.

He said a private agency has been roped in to not only to plant but also nurture these trees.

Plants with a height of 8-10 feet will be planted in open areas and plants with 10 to 12 feet will be planted in either side of roads.

The local agency will nurture it for two years. The individual plant owners will be given two trees and one of them will be an orange one.

Darade said about 30,000 trees will be planted in west and south city area, 20,000 in north and east city area, 30,000 on either side of roads and 60,000 in plots and areas developed by the NIT. NIT will make payment to the private agency in phases since their responsibility is to nurture trees for two years and ensure their survival, Darade added.