An ambulance for trees
| Date :14-May-2019 |
(left) Jatinderpal Singh and Prakash Khemchandani along with the tree ambulance. (right)Jatinderpal Singh and Prakash Khemchandani watering a sapling.
By Vikas Vaidya:
Everybody knows about the ambulance that carries human patients. But nobody has ever heard about an ambulance that cares for trees, it reaches on the spot after receiving calls from any tree lover and makes efforts to save the trees. Like ambulance for humans, this ambulance too has all the equipment needed to save a tree. This ambulance carries adequate water, axe to dig the space around tree, pipe to water the trees, compost etc.
Where trees need ‘emergency’ care!!!
The fellow who runs the ambulance started the activity just two months ago and is getting fantastic results. Of course, he is doing tree-saving work since his childhood. This is the brain child of Jatinderpal Singh who is Director of Environment of Rotary Club of Nagpur North. He is proactively doing this tree saving activity since his childhood. Two months ago, idea of tree ambulance struck his mind and he implemented it with the help of his friends. “I dedicated my WagonR for this activity which has water bags, bottles, pipes, compost and other things kept in the back. When I get a call, I start on my voyage. Mostly people call us when they see trees are drying.
We reach there, first inspect the tree to check what has went wrong. Then we fulfill the requirement of the tree. We also make people aware about trees. We don’t stop there, we monitor such trees afterwards like doctors do post operative rehabilitation. I am happy about one thing that I got 70% success till now," said Jatinderpal Singh with happiness. Jatinderpal Singh and Prakash Khemchandani extended their thanks to ‘The Hitavada’ for running tree campaign. Jatinderpal Singh said that no other newspaper did it and he appreciated the efforts. There are several dimensions to his activity. He not only does planting sapling or watering the plant or spread awareness about tree, but also threatens people who unnecessarily chop the trees, with dire consequences.
“It pains me whenever I see people chop the trees without reason. There are miscreant in the society who necessarily cut the trees. It makes me so much angry. Unfortunately, we are losing our flaura and fauna because of our own mistakes. There are good people in the society who come forward for saving the trees,” pointed out Jatinderpal Singh. Jatinderpal Singh narrated one example of Central Bazar road, Ramdaspeth where some people had put some Ashoka trees for photo-shoot and left them in that condition. Somebody called him so he reached there, dig the place, put the tree in it properly, drop the mud and watered it. Now those trees are growing. “We did planting in MIHAN, near airport and at some other places. Many times people did tree plantations, take photographs and leave those trees as they are. I am very serious about what I do.
I did plantation and I am still monitoring their growth. I don’t believe in Government system. Throughout my ‘save the tree’ campaign, I did not take any help from Government or any other agencies. If people are joining me I welcome them but I am not dependent on anybody. Save the trees is not my hobby. Trees are our life and we must understand the importance of their existence. If we can’t then we are not human beings. This is my personal opinion,” Jatinderpal Singh expressed his feelings. In his own family, every member follows Jatinderpal Singh. He runs an automobile shop near Pratap Nagar square near which he has developed a small nursery where he put beautiful flowers. Several times his friends take those plants and gift them on birthdays.
‘The Hitavada’ has been running the tree campaign on choking of trees and Jatinderpal Singh is aware about it. He said, “I too try to de-choke the trees. At some places in Civil Lines, I saw cement bricks and other material was thrown on the trees that I removed immediately and also cleared the space. Many people don Because of road concretisation, cement debris are dropped on the trees. It becomes difficult for the trees to get water is a difficult task for plants on land. In case of concretisation and getting buried under cement debris, trees will not get water. I feel people too should become aware about trees,” commented Jatinderpal Singh. He loves tree, he hugs them, talks to them. If anybody wants to contact Jatinderpal Singh he or she can dial his number. It is 9822203147.