Balbir Singh Seechewal plants 100 saplings

Jalandhar, July 29

Environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal is on a mission to make the state clean and green. On the fifth death anniversary of former president APJ Abdul Kalam, Seechewal paid tributes to him and planted 100 trees on both sides of the roads in Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts.

He gave the responsibility of looking after the plants to residents of nearby villages. Seechewals’ nursery at Sultanpur Lodhi has above 5 lakh saplings. Every year, Seechewal distributes one lakh plants. During the monsoon season, he has already planted more than 7,000 saplings in the two districts. He began his work with Kali Bein, a 160-km rivulet, which was so polluted that it was on the verge of dying. The presence of hyacinths and silt had made the situation worse. Seechewal, along with his followers, cleaned the rivulet. A film, ‘The battle begins’, based on contaminated water bodies in the state and the strive by Seechewal and people of Punjab to get rid of the curse had also won the best film award in Water for Life category at the 8th Vatavaran International Film Festival. — TNS