A garden was created in his name to connect people. Saturday’s rains created a beautiful scenery. One and a half lakh saplings have grown to 15 to 20 feet in four years.
Three friends began planting trees in 2015 after the National Green Tribunal ordered a halt to mining on Shankargarh Hill.
Mining on Shankargarh Hill, located on the Dewas bypass, was halted in 2015 following the National Green Tribunal’s order, but this massive hill remained completely barren and in ruins. When the three friends arrived at the hill in 2016, the desire to plant trees sprouted in their minds amidst the devastation. Bringing water from the bottom of the hill to keep the 40 saplings alive was difficult. The saplings often died, but the struggle continued for two years. By 2019, Dewas had seen three collectors change hands. They wrote numerous letters to each officer’s desk, pleading for help. Finally, four years ago, the then Collector, Chandramouli Shukla, took an interest and handed the hill over to the supervision of DFO P.N. Mishra. A garden was created in his name to connect people. In four years, more than 150,000 plants have grown to 15 to 20 feet tall. Today, it is one of the most picturesque places in Dewas, hosting several major events annually.
35 mining mafias arrested on the hill
Radharani Bajpai filed a case in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the Madhya Pradesh government to stop the round-the-clock mining operations on the Shankargarh hill. On September 9, 2015, the NGT ordered a halt to mining there. Then-Collector Mahesh Agarwal took action and arrested 35 mining mafias. However, by then, the mining mafia had already excavated half the hill.
700 members from 15 organizations are engaged in the campaign, creating 10 gardens.
Samarjitsinh Jadhav of the Green Army says that 700 members from 15 organizations in the city are engaged in the campaign to make Shankargarh green. In collaboration with the Forest Department, 10 gardens have been created in their names to connect people. This year, the target was to plant 27,000 trees, which has been achieved. 15,000 people planted trees, and the Forest Department planted the remaining. Collector Rishav Gupta has had three borings done.
Members go to water the trees every Sunday.
Members of the Nirankari Mission, Jai Hind Academy, Rotary Club, Bharat Vikas Parishad, and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao water the trees on Shankargarh Hill every Sunday. All these organizations are called the Green Army.
Tree trees are planted in the name of deceased people in Shruti Van.
A water wallet project has been created. Under this scheme, if someone’s family has passed away, a water tank can be donated in their name. There is a storage capacity of 50,000 liters. So far, 25 tanks ranging from one to five thousand liters have been received, and they are installed in their names. There are natural springs in the middle of Shankargarh Hill, from which water is drawn and then brought up through a siphon pipe. Rare plants have been planted in the Biodiversity Park. A pond costing 20 lakh rupees has been built to ensure that the plants in Shankargarh do not face water shortages.
