Kandivli man adopts dying trees along Metro route

A little compassion and care help us all get by, and it is no different for plants. A resident of Kandivli recently decided to lend a helping hand to the dying plants that line the dividers along the Western Express Highway and Link Road.

The ongoing construction work for laying Metro tracks between Andheri and Dahisar were affecting the health of the flora in the area. Taking note of this, 37-year-old Subhajit Mukherjee began a social media drive to spread the word. He urged people to come forward and adopt these trees. Going forward with this thought, an initiative to transport the dying plants to commercial buildings and housing societies was started close to two weeks ago.

A commercial society in Malad has transplanted over 60 plants that were earlier planted on the dividers but had to be uprooted due to the construction work. Bharat Desai, Secretary of Chawda Premises said, "The area where we planted the plants was earlier an empty space. Not only have we saved the plants from dying, this drive has helped us increase the green cover in this area. These plants are more than three years old. We had planted 20 of them initially but now over 60 have found a new home."

Speaking on the initiative 'Lets Green', Mukherjee said, "We have got the support of the authorities (MMRDA). They were happy to see that people are coming forward to take care of the plants. So far, over 2,000 plants have been taken to different housing societies in Andheri, Mira Road, Virar, Mulund, and Ghatkopar. Within two weeks we have received more than 500 calls from the citizens asking us how they can adopt a plant."

Over 1,000 plants remain to be adopted. The WhatsApp group made by Mukherjee is buzzing with pictures and information related to what kind of plants are available. A meet-up related to the initiative was held on April 8 to know the people who have already adopted these plants in their societies.