London dreams over, he’s now on a mission to replenish Jalandhar’s green lungs

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, July 23

When Vishkarampal Singh Dhiman returned to Jalandhar three years ago after completing his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Greenwich, London, what welcomed him was acute pollution.

Places which he remembered as fully green, covered with trees and plants, were converted into commercial complexes. This sight was a turning point in his life, which gave wings to his cherished dream and he kick-started a mission to plant saplings to make Jalandhar clean, green and pollution-free.

Aim — to plant 50,000 saplings this year

I never wanted to settle in London, I just went there for my higher education. Jalandhar is my hometown. I was born and brought up here and being a proud Jalandharite, I always wanted to do something for my city. Therefore, here I am, on a mission to make Jalandhar a better place to live. —Vishkarampal Singh Dhiman

For the past three years, Vishkarampal has been visiting different locations and open spaces in the town in pursuit of his mission. He carries hundreds of saplings with him to each of these places to spread greenery. So far, he has planted over 18,000 saplings and taken charge of beautification of the bus stand flyover, PAP, open space near Lyallpur Khalsa College and PIMS Hospital among other places.

He said he would plant around 50,000 saplings by the end of this year and he was already working on that and had sought permission from the district administration to enhance the green cover.

“I am very fond of greenery and have a big garden at my own house, where I spend most of my time nurturing plants. Through this green mission, I aim to inspire people to work for ridding society of environmental degradation and pollution. Also, I am donating plants to different institutions, NGOs and clubs of the city to motivate them to come forward and contribute towards this noble cause,” he said.

He said the saplings he donate or plant in the city include peepal, neem, royal poinciana (gulmohar) and ashoka trees. Besides, in many residential areas and in city parks, he is planning to plant fruit trees of guava, mango etc.

Sharing his future plans or activities, Vishkarampal said: “I just want to bring back the green cover that has been lost due to urbanisation. I think the seed is the solution for mankind to survive. The people associated with my foundation and I have this aim to increase the green cover. It’s not at all like we plant saplings and forget about its maintenance. We take care of plants and visit the area from time to time,” he said, adding that this pandemic had taught him the value of nature. “So, we should now, at least, learn a lesson and contribute as much as we can to save this environment. Once my target of Jalandhar is achieved, I have plans to expand my mission and cover the entire state,” he said.