We know how in the Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh, a dump-yard was transformed into a natural place- and in its second incarnation, it has become quite popular with the locals as the Mohal Nature Nark. Carrying the initiative forwards, the forest authorities here have created, within this park, a traffic park for the people.
The idea behind this new move is to promote awareness about avenue plantation (that is, planting trees on the roadsides) and road safety. The IFS officer Mr Aishwarya Raj is the man instrumental in the creation of the park.
The area falls under the picturesque Parvati Valley and Mr Raj was posted here in January 2021 as the Deputy Conservator of Forest. And it’s with the help of District Collector Richa Verma that he created a ‘Traffic Park’ with Mohal Nature Park.
During a conversation with Indian Masterminds, he shared his idea of linking nature with traffic as also cannabis removal drive on the occasion of World Environment day last week.
Help of DC was crucial
After being posted in the Parvati division, Mr. Raj’s priorities have been quite clear. He is focused on maintaining cleanliness alongside the banks of Parvati River while at the same time promoting awareness about environment. In this regard, he held several interactions with the area DC. Both the officer wanted to create a space which could provide holistic entertainment for the tourists as well as the locals.
After a lot of brainstorming, they decided to link road safety and nature together. Thus, the work was kick-started in March, leading to the creation of the traffic park in just 40 days!
Learning about nature and road safety together
Said Mr Raj, “Since the idea was to link nature and road safety together so, we have used various concepts of nature in a way that depict signs used on roads. We have shown the concept of carbon emission, advantages of trees, avenue plantation on the cycle tracks etc. The roads in mountains are very different, so we tried to educate the road safety rules relevant in this area through a creative way. We are also planning to introduce various types of cycles in the park to encourage people for saving our environment.”
Education-cum-entertainment
Not just the traffic park, Mohal Nature Park has various other elements which makes it unique and attractive to people. This park is one of the earliest Nature parks in the state which was created in 2015. Interestingly, this park was also turned from a wasteland.
The forest department is focusing on making it a place for “edutainment’’ by combining it with nature. The park’s many attractions include various groves of local species like deodar etc. along with a beautiful rose garden.
A nature gallery showcasing different ecosystems of Himachal Pradesh is also part of this park. Besides, under the leadership of Mr. Raj, a big earth globe and 30 ft long semi-circular aquarium is also waiting to be installed in Mohal. Talking about it, he said that, “The globe will be rotating on a fountain and will depict the famous ‘Gaia Hypothesis’, which says that Earth is a self-healing planet. All this will be completed by end of September this year”.
Cannabis Removal drive on World Environment day
On 5th June, which was the World Environment Day, a cannabis removal drives was organized all across the Parvati Forest Division. This was done along with plantation of deodars and similar species in the region.
As Mr. Raj explained, “Uncontrolled cannabis cultivation is a major cause of concern in this part of the state. Battling it needs a concerted effort by all stakeholders, including the tourists who have been the primary initiators of this widespread nature malaise that is damaging a vast population of youth today. This year’s theme of ecosystem restoration also touches upon reclaiming the lost glory of our forests by bringing back the indigenous species. We have started the work on a big scale, but still there is a long way to go.’’
Mr Raj believes the time has come when every individual has to take his or her role seriously in order to save the environment.
