The Hindu : Green drive marks Earth Day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003

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Green drive marks Earth Day

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI APRIL 22. A galaxy of corporate people, foreign dignitaries, bureaucrats, school children and concerned citizens turned up at Nehru Place Greens here today to water the withering trees which had been left uncared for by Delhi Development Authority.

The people's initiative was also a sort of "civil movement'' to step in where the Government agencies fail to perform their duty. It was the concern at the deteriorating condition of the green that prompted Paharpur Business Centre -- which had been looking after the development and maintenance of Nehru Place Greens for the past eight years, before DDA reclaimed the possession of the property earlier this year -- to organise the watering drive on the occasion of Earth Day.

Glad at the initiative being a "grand success'', the chief Executive Officer of PBC, Kamal Meattle, said the coming in of a large number of concerned citizens was a positive sign. Many of those who turned up had planted trees in the greens and had come to water them.

These concerned "parents'' included the likes of Lady Catherine Young, wife of the British High Commissioner in New Delhi, Sir Rob Young; Sunita Narain, Director of the Centre for Science and Environment; former Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi, Tejender Khanna; Counsellor of the U.S. Embassy, Frank Foser; and president of the Kitchen Garden Association, Sarla Bhargava. There were also a large number of children from Delhi Public School and former and present bureaucrats and diplomats.

Though the Lieutenant-Governor, Vijai Kapoor, the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, the DDA Vice-Chairman, Anil Baijal, and the Union Environment Minister, T.R. Baalu, and Environment Secretary had also been invited, none of them turned up for the people's event.

However, DDA did come up with some antics and in view of the people's programme it sent across two water tankers and some employees to the park for watering the trees. The move, at best ornamental as the water was not sufficient for the entire park, showed up the lack of seriousness towards the issue.

Two senior officers of DDA also landed at the venue and asserted that they would make the park much better than what it was earlier. But they had not come with any plans on how they would get the two tubewells -- installed for the seven-acre park -- working in the absence of a proper electricity supply.

Mr. Meattle said he was willing to help with generator supply for pumping of water provided DDA requests for it.

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