DID you ever think why metropolitan capital, the New Delhi looks greener than Srinagar? This is despite the fact that our City in the picturesque Valley was expected to have been much greener. Well, we need to ponder over the issue. We need to think green. Read on…
Today, the cultured societies like to grow greenery not only in their lawns but in their surroundings as well. Pertinently those who do not have space for developing garden in their homes are growing miniature plants in the pots that shows how much love they are having towards the nature.
Amazingly in Japan most of the houses do not have widely opening doors like we have in Srinagar. They preferably fix the sliding doors in their houses merely to save space for installing maximum number of indoor plants at such available space.
To give fascinating view of their green compounds, the residents in New Delhi are not allowed to raise their compound walls more than 5.6 feet high. But contrary to it, most of the people in Srinagar raise jail like high walls. The Srinagar Municipality Corporation needs to discourage this trend, particularly to those houses situated at roadsides.
The sense of growing greenery in their homes is increasingly developing among We the Srinagarites as well. One can find hundreds of flower vendors at Residency Road near Biscoe School and Batamaloo Bus Station in Spring and Autumn seasons. Some are seen selling seeds and seedlings even in off seasons. They sell kinds of shrubs, flowing and vegetable seedlings, fruit and flowering plants and a variety of bulbs like lilies, Cana, gladiolus etc.
During springs thousands of nature lovers, farmers and cultivators are seen buying the green material from them. They make a good business during this period. Their lot is not only sold to Srinagarites but scores of people from Ladakh and other districts come here to buy green material of their choice. It has in fact become a industry now and is providing employment to thousands of people but it is saddening that these poor people are not provided space by the Government at City Centre to sell their products comfortably. They are bound to lay their stalls on busy foot paths. They are not able to fix canopy to hide the delicate seedlings from rains and scorching heat which sometime cause them heavy losses. On the other hand the SMC officials are always raiding them and throwing away tiny live seedlings.
Astonishingly killing dogs are banned in Srinagar but killing the seedlings, which too have life, has no meaning for SMC. It should be the responsibility of Gardens and Parks, Social Forestry and Environment Departments to take these vendors under their broad wings and arrange space at suitable place for the sale of their products which could help ‘Go Srinagar Green’. And may help eradicate the taboo of being the ‘dirtiest City’. Plantation season is starting from second week of February so the immediate action is solicited. It is a social service. Srinagarites like me really feel it.
Muhammad Yusuf
The author teaches Aquatics and Adventure Sports at the Physical
Education and Sports Deptt, Kashmir University, He can be mailed at
(The views expressed are author’s own)