Auto drivers help volunteers, green cover gives MRTS stations fresh breath

CHENNAI: While scientists gauge the city’s shrinking green cover through satellite images, autorickshaw driver S Raghu has been doing the same thing on the ground for the past two decades — the time he takes to find a patch of shade to park his vehicle is a lot longer now.
On Sunday, Raghu along with four other drivers, set out to recover the shade they lost by planting saplings around their auto stand outside Kotturpuram MRTS station.
“For the past 10 years, we have had volunteers plant and tend to saplings around the station. It took a while for us to realise that we were the beneficiaries. We felt it was time we took responsibility,” said Raghu, 41 .
The volunteers Raghu saw on and off were from Nizhal, an NGO that has been reaching out to people on the need for sensitive greening of the city. In 2006, the group set out to plant indigenous saplings at MRTS stations, which were becoming dumping sites. They started by planting 40 saplings near Kasturba Nagar station and 25 at Kotturpuram station the succeeding year.
Indigenous varieties included ‘Poo Maruthu’ — the ‘Pride of India’ — Indian laburnum (Kani Konna) and coral trees named after the colour of its blossoms. Except a dozen saplings that perished, the rest took root at these stations. And then the initiative, which was supported by Southern Railways, hit a dry spell.
“We have been monitoring these plants through the years though,” said Shobha Menon of Nizhal.
Last year, Nizhal, along with Southern Railways, revived the initiative by planting nearly a dozen saplings at Mandaveli station. Railways supported the drive by providing them water and deputing staff to tend to these plants. They are now planting 100 saplings at Chintadripet station. To expand the programme and make it sustainable, decided on community involvement.
“It isn’t feasible for us to depute staff at each station,” said a senior railways official. The Beach-Velachery line 19km has 18 stations. Except Beach, Fort and Park stations, the rest are elevated. The line runs alongside Buckingham Canal between Chindadripet and Thiruvanmiyur. “What we could do instead is inspire people living around these stations to take responsibility. It isn’t going to be easy, but we should be able to make a start somewhere,” the official said.