There was a time in the past when as soon as the monsoon had set in the state, several tree-plantation drives popularly known as Vanamahotsav would be carried out with great enthusiasm all across the state.
Several organizations and schools would plant saplings of fruit bearing and ornamental trees in open spaces which would then be watered by nature throughout the monsoon season. But now one rarely hears of such programs being carried out.
There has been a drive in the state to cut old trees which are considered dangerous as they have outlived their lifetime and could fall due to strong winds that accompanies the monsoon. But then there seems to be very little enthusiasm to carry out the Vanamahotsav programs in the state.
The logical step to take would be to plant two saplings for every tree that is being cut down. But this is seldom the case. The local MLAs, politicians, the civic bodies, panchayats, NGOs, schools, colleges, churches, private firms, etc. in the state should organize tree plantation drives in their localities and the surrounding areas.
The importance of growing more trees should be taught to the school children by carrying out tree-plantation drive once a year as a part of the school curriculum. Trees are the lungs of the cities and we need them in large numbers to counteract the environmental pollution due to the increased number of traffic on the roads. The government could have a “Vanamahotsava Day” during the monsoon season and organize a state wide tree-plantation drive on this day.
