MLAs in Mangar for green lesson

NEW DELHI: At 6am on a hot Sunday, when the city was just starting to stir, three Delhi MLAs found themselves facing a vast expanse of green at the edge of the Mangar forest. They had prepared for a master class on the Aravali Ridge from noted environmentalist and tree expert Pradip Krishen.
In a three-hour session, Krishen took the lawmakers through the forest, educating them on the natural flora and fauna of the Aravalis to help them understand Delhi's forests better.The idea for this walk was floated by Padmavati Dwivedi, founder of NGO Compassionate Living who initiated the concept of tree census in Delhi. She roped in Krishen to conduct the walk. The three MLAs who attended the walk were Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Somnath Bharti (Malviya Nagar) and law minister Kapil Mishra.
"We chose Mangar as a template and model of how beautiful the ridge can look and help the MLAs respond appropriately to issues regarding the city's greens," said Krishen.
Krishen, who regularly conducts walks in the ridge, said that he had no idea what to expect from Sunday's exercise and thought he would take the participants up to a vantage point. "However, they seemed really interested and it made the walk more pleasurable. I explained the ecology to them and the importance of native trees. In fact, we may organize another walk on July 5 where more MLAs can join us," he said.
On his first visit to Mangar, Bharti said he was extremely moved and requested Krishen to give suggestions for improving Delhi's forests and green cover.
"To sustain through dry days, trees develop deep roots. I realized this during the walk in Mangar Bani. I will to speak to the chief minister and see whether we can collaborate with Haryana government to preserve the forest," he said.