In an epoch making event, 37 peethadhipathis of different sects and religions on Thursday decided to take up a massive programme to plant a record 6.5-crore fruit-bearing saplings in the State over five years to bring back ``greenery and happiness to the people and animals.''
As a first step in this direction, the swamijis have formed a trust, Karnataka Vanasamvardhana Datti, headed by the Adichunchangiri Math's Sri Balagangadharanatha Swami.
Explaining the features of the trust's activities at a joint press conference, Sri Balagangadharanatha said that the programme was being taken up with support from the Union and State governments.
Prominent among those who spoke were Sri Shivaratri Desikendra Swami of Suttur Math, Dr Shivamurthy Shivacharya Swami of Sirigere Math, Sri Shivarudra Swami of Belimath and Sri Sugunendra Teertha Swami of Udupi Puthige Math.
Dr Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Math, Dr Veerendra Heggade of Srikshetra Dharmasthala, Sri Gangadhara Rajayogindra Swami of Moorsavira Math, Sri Tontada Siddalinga Swami of Tontadarya Math, Sri Beerendra Keshava Tarakanandapuri Swami of Kanaka Gurupeetha, Sri Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Swami of Sravanabelagola, the Archbishop of Bangalore Rev. Dr Ignatius Pinto, Sri Gangadharendra Swami of Swarnavalli Math, Allhaj Moulana Moulvi Mohammed Luth Fulla of Su Woodl Maszid-E-Quadr, Acharya Buddharakkhita Bhante of Mahabodhi Society, Sri Rudrakshi Munideshikendra Swami of Adijambava Math, Rev. Fr. Naronha of St. Joseph's Church and Sri S.Jogindersingh Sabarwala of Gurudwara Gurusingh Sabha are trustees. Dr Yellappa Reddy, former Forest Secretary, is the Secretary of the trust.
Sri Balagangadharanatha Swami, whose Math is running a number of schools and colleges, including a medical and engineering college in Adichunchangiri, said that the programme would be launched after two months. Only eight per cent of land in the State was covered under forests, he added. Air and water pollution was so high that people were being afflicted with all types of diseases. Most of the areas such as ``Gundu topu'', mini forests, ``gomala'' or ``gokatte'' or even row of trees, which used to provide shade throughout the year, were found in the State.
Under the programme, the governments would provide technical support such as machinery and saplings, while the peethadhipathis would mobilise people from different sections of society. The groups of people or individuals selected by the trust would be given the benefit of reaping the fruits, when the trees grew up. Apart from this, the trust would undertake desiltation of tanks to provide protein-rich manure to the saplings. Saplings would be planted on roadsides and also on tank and river beds to contain soil erosion. He said that borewells would be installed every 30 km. Villagers, who took care of the saplings, would be given bicycles. He urged the governments to give grace marks to children, who nourished at least 10 saplings, instead of the rural weightage.
He said that the trust had adopted ``Vruksho Rakshati Rakshitaha'' as its slogan which was suggested by Sri Sugunendra Teertha Swami.
Asked whether it would be easy to collect 6.5 crores saplings, particularly when the State Government's programme of planting one crore trees was a failure, he said that he had successfully collected two lakh coconut saplings to be planted by poor farmers.
Ultimately, he hoped that at least five crores saplings of the 6.5 crores saplings would survive. The State Government, he said, should hand over ``gomala'' and other-vacant lands which were being encroached upon, to the trust for planting saplings and their maintenance.
Rev. Naronha suggested that the swamis henceforth should receive saplings from devotees instead of garlands. Though the trust would not accept money from anybody, it would welcome participation of organisations, he said.
Hitech hospital
Sri Balagangadharanatha Swami also signed an memorandum of understanding with Mr. M.Radhakrishna, Director, Projects of the Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, to ``build-operate and transfer'' a hitech hospital in Mysore, where the Math had a building to house 300 beds. The Math would finance Rs.30 crores to be spent in one year. The hospital would be inaugurated in the first week of June.
Mr. Radhakrishna said that the group
had already taken up 33 similar projects, including seven abroad. The group
would take up works such commissioning, recruitment of staff and run the
hospitals till, they gained viability. He and the swami said that it would
provide hitech medicare to poor patients of Mysore and Mandya districts.