Powered by desire, Mescom man on mission to grow forest

The hands that once pruned the branches of trees have begun growing trees to create a forest.

A 36-year-old Mescom staffer, Durga Singh, inspired by Miyawaki and Shubhendu Sharma’s videos on planting forests in YouTube channel has launched his own unique afforestation mission with minimum investment. The desire to plant forests grew stronger after learning how such afforestation activities can even reverse climate change. Wasting little time he decided to launch the unique afforestation mission from his house in Kabaka, Puttur.

Three weeks ago, after levelling the plot with the help of an excavator, he planted 600 plants of 30 different species on the barren land measuring 1,000 sqft, behind his house.

“After the first two years of care and management, plants grow to become an urban forest,” said Singh serving as a Mechanic (grade-II) in Mescom.

They are so dense, that it is difficult to enter, he added.

A BSNL employee, Shekar, on learning about Singh’s mission invited him to raise an urban forest in his barren land in Golithottu near Kokkada in Belthangady taluk. Singh, after making markings, had completed planting 1,300 plants on an area over 1,500 sqft on Sunday evening.

Previously, he had purchased plants under the forest department’s Social Forestry scheme. Panja Range forest department on learning about Singh’s afforestation scheme identified the native species and gave it to him free of charge. Singh’s afforestation model differs from Miyawaki and Sharma’s models by being economical.

“I spent about Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 for planting an urban forest,” he said.

He uses a liquid plant nutrient (which costs Rs 11,000 and lasts for a year) developed from Israel technology and is best suited for local conditions. While planting, he ensures that a native plant is surrounded by six different species of plants. Singh playing down his afforestation activities says some like Peepal Baba had planted over 10 million Peepal trees.

RTI activist Kabaka Sanjeeva, who had also planted a sapling in Singh’s plot weeks ago, welcomed such initiatives with huge benefits to ecology.

“Singh is making amends by raising urban forests,” he said.