Friday, May 23, 2008

Painting the town red, with a touch of green

Sapgreen, the tree-plant enterprise, seeks to spread this green message by planting a wide variety of saplings at strategic locations in Mysore. Ashwin of Sapgreen says they have procured some 250 saplings of 20 varieties of trees. They are tall – nearly ten feet; which put these saplings above the reach of goats and stray cattle.

I do not know how they plan to tree-guard the saplings. These pictures, taken in a San Ramon (CA) neighbourhood, prompt us to improvise a supportive contraption, with bamboo and strips of discarded tyre.



Such supportive tree-guards account for a streamlined growth, which is essential for saplings planted in localities such as the shop-front pavement on Devaraja Urs Rd.

Skewed growth, such as this one, on Crawford Hall may be seen as an art form. But this wouldn’t do for a busy street with narrow pavements such as Devaraja Urs Rd.

Devaraja Urs Rd.could do with tree-cover that can provide much needed shade for shoppers and traders alike during long summer months.When I mentioned this to a shop-owner, Mr Prasanna, he welcomed the idea; and offered to do what it takes to plant a couple in front of his own establishment – Sudharshan Jewellers. Another location where Sapgreen could think of planting their showcase saplings is in front of the Coffee Day outlet at the JLB-D-Urs Rd corner. Saplings on such locations could bring Sapgreen the kind of visibility it requires to spread its Green Mysore message.

Yet another suitable spot is Javagal Srinath Circle on JLB Rd., where there had once been a tree. A short distance from this spot is a hotel that is coming up. Its developer could be persuaded to adopt a couple of Sapgreen saplings.

A tree slot on Sitavilas Rd., close to MUDA Circle

3 comments:

Gouri Satya said...

A few years back, the Forest Department dug up pits for planting trees on Devaraj Urs Road. However, it left the pits open without planting trees and during the power cuts pedestrians were slipping into these pits and get hurt. It was a waste of money as well. After some months, the City Corporation closed the pits. Even a few trees that existed on the footpaths were uprooted by some shop keepers as they found them to be obstructing their shop's view for shoppers. But one green activist, the owner of Bahusar Trading Shop selling household items, has planted two trees and taken care of them well, in front of his shop.

GVK said...

Planting 10-ft. tall saplings, with supportive wood-guards for their streamlined growth ought to answer the concerns of shopkeepers who uprooted view-obstructive trees on their shop-front.

Ashwin said...

Talked to Prasanna of Sudarshan Jewellers and he is very positive about planting trees. I told him that this could be done on environment day thus setting Mysore as an example for other cities. He has promised to arrange for a meeting with his fellow shop owners and make this road a success story of Mysore.