PRAYAS TEAM ENVIRONMENT

1. PRAYAS TEAM ENVIRONMENT SURAT TREE WATCH

2. The First Step • Saving two African Baobab as a landmark beginning for the movement. • Two African Baobabs over 500 years old were saved by effective campaigning and representation to the SMC. • Please read the details from the link below. http://www.prayas-india.org/Environment/Tree/baobabs.asp

3. Inspiration • The earlier efforts of PRAYAS Team for saving and planting trees. We are in this since our school days. • Major inspiration for the organized movement is derived from PUNE TREE WATCH. • I have been a silent reader to the email group of PTW since a long time, as I came across the information from web about PTW and this was because I did my engineering from PUNE and PUNE is close to my heart, so I keep finding green happenings about Pune. We did a lot of plantation in our college campus from 1991 to 1995. • From PTW activities I discovered that thousands of trees can be saved just by talking to save them, by getting people to talk about saving them, raising a voice, building a voice. We need people and people of Surat are totally different from that of Pune, so it took us a while to figure it out. But it can be said for sure, STW is in its form is due to PTW. • We saw you communicating, working, meeting, felt the anguish and the pain in the conversations, the enthusiasm in the meetings and the courage of the PTW-PTA members taking on the opposite forces to work the way you do…just so inspiring and…we have picked up the gauntlet. • We have started working.

4. Factors in the Strategy • Surat is becoming net savvy very recently, so cant expect the effective activism and participation on email group straight away • Need to setup a communication channel with the authorities first to have small successes at the beginning. • Motivating people at large – youngsters mainly. • Above all, we need to make the people talk about saving trees first, talk aloud first and scream soon.

5. Plans and steps • People participation, technical support, coordination, field activities all should be taken as parallel activities • Coordination is the key and have seen PTW coordinators getting stretched a lot. • Ultimate objective – Gujarat Trees Act – at par to the best in any there state or better, - its completely missing right now. STW will have to make its own roof.

6. 172 Trees of Kigelia Pinata in a patch of 1.5 km saved at Udhna Magdalla road widening • A huge Banyan tree saved. Total 173 trees In one shot. from getting cut in the road widening and RCC work. • Result of vigilance network – a strategy adapted from PTW. • Effective representation to SMC and motivating local Chamber of Commerce to chip in with. • We offered the Commissioner to transplant all the trees as we have done many in the past. • Ms Aparna (IAS) – the Commissioner is very sensitive person and in a single day she made the town planning alter the plan to save the road divider, to save the trees. • We were only hopeful that she would give us some time so that we can transplant all of them. But she surprised us with altering the road plan. • Amazing, its so amazing.. When you really wish to do something, • … Saari Kayanat tumhre saath ho jaati hai…

7. The second step of Surat Tree Watch. Photo Album of the Trees saved at Udhna Magdalla Road Widening

10. The divider was to be removed for the paving machine to lay down the RCC road.

19. The huge banyan tree in the middle of the road

20. Road plan was changed to save the divider. Second time in the history of Surat – for trees. Joint effort of PRAYAS Team – SURAT TREE WATCH – SGCCI – Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry Thanks to Ms Aparna (IAS) Municipal Commissioner SMC