Environmental issues have become a major concern in the bureaucratic corridors these days. And it’s not surprising that official machinery has been taking proactive steps to make a sustainable future for the people of the country. World Environment Day just passed by and on the occasion the Haryana government took a noble initiative with the state’s forest department to build Oxy-Van (oxygen forest) in two districts, Karnal and Panchkula, at the initial stage.
The foundation stone for these urban forests, one in Karnal and the other in Panchkula, was laid by the Chief Minister of Haryana Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar on 5 June. The initiative was taken in cognizance of the increasing vehicular and industrial pollution in urban areas which is causing the heat island effect and bad air quality
MAKING URBAN FORESTS
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, District Magistrate of Karnal Nishant Yadav said “Initially we were thinking of creating a project on the lines of urban forestry. For this we had identified an 80-acre landin the districtwhere we planned to create an urban forest. This forest would have been just like the lungs of the city. However, this limited approach was taken to the upper level and with the guidance of the CM, the forest department developed an idea of developing nine different forests for different purposes rather than having a single uniform forest.”
The Oxy Van, Karnal will be created on the Old Badshahi Canal, also known as the Mughal Canal, on an area of 80 acres covering a total length of 4.2 Km. The Park, which will be built in nine different forests for different purposes, includes Chit Van (Forest of beauty), Paakhi Van (Forest of birds), Antriksh Van (Forest of zodiac plants), Tapo Van (Forest of meditation), Arogya Van (Healing/herbal forest), Neer Van (Forest of waterfalls), Rishi Van (Sapt Rishi) Panchvati (Five trees), Smaran Van (Forest of memories), Sugandh Suvaas/Sugandh Van and (Forest of fragrance).
THE PROJECT
Every forest among the nine will house different plants according to its purpose. Chitvan will contain ornamental and flowering plants flowering in different seasons like orchid tree (kachnar), Indian Laburnum (Amaltas), Pride of India, Red silk cotton tree (Seemal), Indian Coral, Sita Ashok, Java Cassia, Red Gulmohar, Golden Shower, Passion Flower, etc. Pakhi Van will house plants like Peepal, Banyan, Pilkhan, Neem etc. Antriksh Van will have luck boosting plants like Flame of the forest (Palash/Dhak), Jackfruit, Cluster fig (Gullar), Amla, Krishan Neel, Champa, Khair, etc, Bilwa, etc.
Arogya Vann will have healing medicinal plants like Tulsi, Ashwagandha, Neem, Aloe vera, Chebulic Myrobalan (Harad), Baheda, and Amla, etc. Sugandh Vatika will contain fragrant plants like Sugadhraj, Chameli, Night queen, Day king, Night blooming jasmine (Parijaat), Champa, Rose, Honey suckles, Passiflora etc. These plants can be identified by their peculiar fragrance and, therefore will be a boon for those who cannot see.
Besides, the park will also house an information centre and a souvenir shop where the information related to the park, its components will be available. One Amphitheatre will also be constructed where artists can perform for entertainment purposes. Light and sound show will be shown to the visitors covering various aspects of this Oxy Van.
ADVANTAGES
Mr. Yadav said, “This project is a year long project and it will be a gift for the people of Karnal. It will be a paradise for morning and evening walkers as a 4.2 km stretch will be developed where people can cover an 8 km long walking track. As there will be a variety of flowers in this park, people who are fond of flowers will also love it. Herbal/healing plants which are being planted Arogya Vann will also be very useful for the people.”
The total cost of the project is five crore rupees and it will be a joint venture of Haryana Forest Department, Govt. of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Municipal committee, Karnal.
