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
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.
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.
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.
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…