Chandigarh, April 19
The forest department of the Chandigarh administration plans to intensify its endeavour to extend green belt in educational institutions around the city. This move has been fully supported by more than 100 government schools and colleges of Chandigarh.
Interestingly, under this campaign, 32 government schools, four colleges and Panjab University have developed special herbal gardens on their campuses to make students aware of the advantages of herbal plants in their day-to-day life.
As many as 20,000 saplings, including 7,000 of trees and 13,000 of shrubs, will be planted in the educational institutions of the city this year. A senior official of the forest department revealed that there was a plan to distribute free seedlings of neem, jamun, arjun, mango, kusum and peepal, which had a great role in keeping the environment clean.
Government Senior Secondary Model School, Sector 46, is not only leading in Chandigarh in developing the green belt on its premises by planting 650 trees in and around the school but is also making natural manure from the waste leaves, which the students collect from the school grounds.
Talking to the Tribune, incharge of the eco club of the school Om Prakash said the school had planted around 500 ornamental plants and 60 medicinal plants on the school premises. He said the school had an eco club of 50 students out of which 10 were active members and were deputed regularly in maintaining the school’s green belt. He said most of the barren and unutilised land of the school had been brought under the green belt.
School Principal H.K. Bhatia said the idea behind creating a herbal garden in the school was to develop awareness among the students about the utility of medicinal plants. She said the students undertook eco club activities during prayer period of the school thus, not compromising on their studies.