Now, send SMS to get saplings at your home

AMRITSAR: With a motive to increase green cover in the city, the local Municipal Corporation has come up with a new idea of SMS Tree Campaign under which residents can request for sapling of any variety from the civic body provided they give it in writing that they would care for it.

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 11

With a motive to increase green cover in the city, the local Municipal Corporation has come up with a new idea of SMS Tree Campaign under which residents can request for sapling of any variety from the civic body provided they give it in writing that they would care for it.

The Municipal Commissioner Sonali Giri said, “Residents can send their requests at mobile number 8054955463 mentioning their name, address and kind of sapling they want.”

She said, “Our people will contact the number from which this SMS is received . We will approach him/her to sign a pledge stating that he or she will take care of the sapling.”

The motive behing getting the pledge signed was to promote the idea of social responsibility towards environment, she added.

The Commissioner said officials of the MC would collect funds for the campaign through voluntary donations. “But if donations are not enough for garnering cash then we will not hesitate to arrange the saplings from MC kitty.”

Presently, the Municipal Corporation has planned to provide only one sapling per household under the scheme. The residents may get the sapling planted in their residence or at a common place.

Earlier, the Short Messaging Services (SMS) Tree campaign was successfully started in Ahmedabad in February this year. Sonali Giri said, “It has been successfully in Ahmedabad and we want to have the same results here.”

The city has seen a vast depletion of green cover in the past two years as most full grown trees on various roads in the city were axed to clear way for the bus rapid transit system (BRTS). The PWD Department in association with non government orgainsations has also begun tree plantation along BRTS corridors to make for the loss of the green cover. With the Municipal Corporation initiating SMS Tree Campaign, an increase in green cover can be expected in the city soon.