Chandigarh plants record 1.17 lakh trees

Indian Express

06-07-2025

In one of the largest single-day environmental efforts in the city's history, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria led a massive plantation campaign across Chandigarh to mark Van Mahotsav 2025. Against the target of planting 1,05,874 saplings at 253 identified sites, total 1,17,836 saplings were planted at 318 sites on Friday, transforming parks, road dividers, school campuses and residential areas into green zones.
Personally visiting 23 of these locations, Kataria planted a variety of ecologically significant and culturally symbolic saplings — from Crushia at Matka Chowk and Mango at Panjab University to Rudraksha at Raj Bhavan and Triveni (Peepal, Banyan, Neem) at Sukhna Choe Reserve Forest.
'This is not an event, it is a green movement — one that must echo through every household, every school, every institution of Chandigarh,' the Governor said, addressing participants during the drive. 'Van Mahotsav is not merely about planting trees; it is about planting hope, balance, and the future itself.'
Home Secretary Mandip Brar, DGP Pushpendra Kumar, MC Commissioner Amit Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forests Saurabh Kumar, and other senior officials from the Chandigarh Administration also took part in the drive.
Calling upon citizens to treat the annual campaign as a collective environmental responsibility, Kataria invoked Munshi Premchand's words: 'Vrikshon ka arth hai jal, jal se roti aur roti se hi jeevan', stressing that human life depends on trees — for rain, rivers, fertile land and survival itself.
Asserting that 'our relationship with nature is not contractual but emotional,' Kataria said the sacred philosophy of Panchmahabhuta — Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Sky — finds a living connector in trees. Citing Guru Nanak Dev Ji's verse, 'Pavan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat', he urged people to respect the environment as one would honour a parent or teacher.
Highlighting sobering global data, the Governor pointed out that more than 15 billion trees are lost globally each year, equivalent to the destruction of 40 football fields of forest every second. 'These are not just numbers — they are urgent signals from a wounded planet. We must act now, and act with conviction,' he said.
Chandigarh, which already boasts 51.54% green cover, has now set a new benchmark in urban greening. The UT Administration plans to plant over five lakh saplings this year as part of long-term ecological restoration efforts.
Kataria also unveiled three key environmental initiatives on the occasion: the Greening Chandigarh Action Plan, the State Action Plan on Climate Change, and the Chandigarh Tree Map.
He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' for giving emotional depth to environmental action. 'Every tree planted in the name of one's mother is a living tribute — a symbol of love, protection, and nurturing,' the Governor said, urging the youth to carry the movement forward.
The day-long campaign saw enthusiastic participation from government officials, schoolchildren, volunteers and residents. Among the locations where Kataria planted saplings were:
• Matka Chowk: Crushia
• Patiala Ki Rao: Kapur
• Panjab University: Mango
• Shantikunj & Sector 18 Neighbourhood Park: Neeli Gulmohar
• Sector 22 Govt Model School: Shyam Tulsi and Amla (Herbal Garden)
• Sector 23: Gardenia
• Garden of Spring, Sector 53: Kachnaar
• CRPF 13 Battalion Camp: Tulsi
• GMCH-32 and Govt College of Education, Sector 20: Gulmohar
• CISF Sector 31: Guava
• Mango Belt, Sector 26: Biksa Orelana and Mango
• Sukhna Choe Reserve Forest: Triveni
• Govt Model School, Sector 26: Rudraksha (Taru Vatika)
• Punjab Raj Bhavan: Rudraksha