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| Is Van Mahotsav only a ritual? | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 10: Van Mahotsav is being celebrated by taking up plantation initiatives, but there is a dire need to be done more in addition to the symbolic tree plantation exercise that happens every year.
Van Mahotsav is a yearly tree-planting exercise in India, which started in 1950. The name ‘Van Mahotsav’ implies festival of forests.
Though Van Mahotsavs over the years have led to a significant increase in mass awareness as far as importance of green cover is concerned but how much attention and care is being taken for a large number of saplings being planted across J&K over the course of time is a matter of concern.
“No doubt Van Mahotsav is a good initiative, but now a days it has only become a formality for the authorities. It should always be taken into consideration that whether the aim and purpose for which Van Mahotsav has been organized is getting fulfilled or not,” said former Forest Minister Choudhary Lal Singh while speaking to Early Times.
“The Forest Department needs to protect and preserve the saplings planted during the drive with a fencing around them so that the purpose for which they have been planted remains fruitful and not a mere annual ritual,” Singh added.
Singh further said that these days Van Manhotsav has become a photo op for the officers as they just plant few saplings here and there and then widely publicize it.
“The idea behind organizing Van Mahotsav during rainy season was to get good nurturing and growth of the plants and to get the maximum benefits out of it pits used to be dug for plantation well before monsoon. Preparations used to be made in the months of April, May and June but unfortunately now this basic principle is not being followed,” Singh said.
“To augument the greenery in our surroundings we need to adopt time tested and scientific methods for plantation during Van Mahotsav. Not just for the sake of a ritual. It is nothing but wastage of state exchequer,” he added.
The rate at which the green cover is depleting, initiatives like Van Mahotsavs are good but they are not enough to stem the rot as there is no follow up for the rest of the year. We end up with one-hit wonders that make a big splash annualy yet cause no ripples of change. |
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