Environment activists continue with Gandhigiri protest demanding plantation of native plants

Kolhapur: A 'Gandhigiri' protest has been going on in Sangli for over ten days by environmental activists under the banner of Nature Conservation Society. The activists gather in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue in Sangli city and head to Siraj, Kupwad Municipal Corporation to gift one native Indian plant sapling daily to the Sangli Municipal Commissioner. Koustubh Pol, an environment activist, said, "In the first few days of our protest, the municipal commissioner and other officials received the plant saplings from us, but now the municipal corporation officials are not letting us enter the corporation, stating that they have received such orders from their higher authority. We have received support in the form of plant saplings from environment lovers from Kolhapur, Pune, Nanded, and Solapur. We won't stop our protest, which we are carrying out peacefully." Sangli Municipal Corporation has commenced a plan to plant one lakh saplings in the next three years under the Harit Sangam project with the aim of bringing the air quality index down and increasing the green cover of the city. However, several plant species shortlisted for this initiative are non-native. Environmental activists from various groups have raised their voices against this. The activists have drawn up a list of indigenous plants that should be planted in and around Sangli and provided to the municipal corporation officials. Horticulture expert Rohan Patil said, "At the time of heavy rain and gusty winds, the exotic plants are the ones that fall. Also, these plants are of no use to birds and local biodiversity. A written statement of demands was made to the Sangli district collector, Sangli municipal commissioner, guardian minister Chandrakant Patil, along with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, as the decision to plant 100 percent native plants hasn't yet been taken by Sangli, Miraj, and Kupwad Municipal Corporation, we environment lovers have decided to gift a native plant species daily to the Sangli municipal commissioner from Sept 12 onwards." Indigenous trees increase water storage and maintain soil fertility. Head of Nature Conservation Society, Tabrez Khan, said, "Monoculture, which means planting trees of the same species in a row, and exotic trees, both are against the laws of nature. The importance of indigenous trees is invaluable. Trees like karmal, vad, peepal, jambhul, karanj, neem, tamarind, mango, shendri, kusum, arjun, hirda, and behda not only live long and provide shade, but also maintain ecological balance due to their nesting places for local birds, habitat for animals, and medicinal properties." Meanwhile, the micro-planning of the Harit Sangam project has started. A senior official from Sangli, Miraj, and Kupwad Municipal Corporation, requesting anonymity, said, "We will take forward our concept of thematic garden. For example, Bodhi Garden, which has important trees in the life of Gautam Buddha such as peepal, sal (Shorea robusta), or Ashoka forest (Saraca indica), dillenia indica, taman bagh. We will plant trees on the side of the road. It has been decided that the ratio should be 75 percent indigenous and 25 percent exotic plants. Even though a few plant species are exotic, they have very well adapted to our climate."