Mumbai: Around 1000 trees were planted in a span of two hours. Residents of Oberoi Splendor and 25 other societies on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), along with the Wildlife Conservation Empower Foundation, organised a plantation and cleaning drive in Aarey forest.
Residents from multiple housing societies participated in the movement
Residents of Oberoi Splendor and 25 other societies on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), along with the Wildlife Conservation Empower Foundation, organised a plantation and cleaning drive in Aarey forest.
The event, themed “Ek Ped Shaheed Ke Naam,” aimed to honour the martyrs of Operation Sindoor. Over 1000 trees were planted, and garbage was collected from three core areas. The drive involved hundreds of residents, including children and seniors.
Veramma Picchagaram; (right) Shubhash Chaudhary
The plants were specially selected to suit the forest habitat, and the areas will be maintained by the participating societies and Aarey forest residents. The event also highlighted the importance of reducing human-animal conflicts, with residents citing a significant drop in animal attacks since regular clean-up drives began.
The initiative hopes to organise more drives every two months, educating children about environmental responsibility and promoting community involvement in conservation efforts. Residents from multiple societies ranging from age 4 to 83 participated. A retired director of MCME, Shubhash Choudhary said, “I had to attend once I learnt that it was to honour our martyrs, and any effort towards saving our forest is always worth it no matter how early we have to wake up and come.”
Kokam, Shiwari, Amla, Chinch, Chandalia, and mango trees were chosen and grown specifically and planted in a pattern that made sure all of them survive.
“We have been doing Mega Cleanup drives in Aarey for years now and it is the most complex drive compared to beach cleanups because of garbage in challenging terrain and deep forests. This time the initiative was magnified with residents of 25 societies joining in with a common objective of Clean Aarey, Green Aarey,” said Dr Jalpesh Mehta, Chairperson, Empower Foundation.
Alok Juneja
“After the Pahalgam attack we had an idea of a tribute to martyrs and civilians who lost their lives,” said Pawan Sharma, Chairman of the Splendor Complex CHS. Members of the societies who planted the trees will look after them along with Aarey forest residents.
Aarey forest resident Veeramma Picchagaram said, “People had similarly planted saplings two years ago which have now fully grown. Such efforts are always good for our environment and we will definitely take care of all these plants.”
During the drive, garbage along the trails was also picked up. Sheetal Mehta, a member of the Empower Foundation, said there had been a drop in the number of animal attacks since such clean-up drives had started.
Alok Juneja, a resident of one of the societies on JVLR, said, “The main reason we came out here today is to teach our kids the importance of such drives. It is our responsibility to show them from when they are young that we have to take care of our environment.”
A child whose parents requested anonymity said, “It is okay that we had to wake up so early in our summer holidays, because we were doing something meaningful.”
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