Dr A P Sanwaria, chairman, Environment and Beautification Committee of the MC, said: “There are 1,600 parks and green belts in the city. These need to be maintained and we have decided to involve residents for this work. We have also outlined a number of proposals for the beautification and upkeep of parks.”

In the current budget, The MC has allocated Rs 6.7 crore for the landscaping work in the city. In some sectors, meanwhile, residents are already involved in the upkeep of parks and many have also won prizes in various competitions.

The decision was taken seeing the large number of parks in the city and complaints by the Horticulture department officials that they were short-staffed. In such a situation, help from residents is likely to provide some relief.

A proposal for installing a multiplay system, meant to cater to children in different localities was cleared last year. The equipment for this was also to be designed keeping the safety of children in mind and is likely to be installed in gardens and green belts this year.

Dr Sanwaria, added that new green belts and parks would be developed in areas which lack any such facilities. New trees, shrubs would also be planted.