Siruthuli has been involved in various afforestation activities since to increase green
cover, expand lung space, enrich the soil and help the overall ecosystem. Planting a
tree is planting hope for the future. This was the case for the 10.75-acre land
belonging to the Railways adjacent to the Ondipudur flyover. The site was a blemish
sight for passersby for many years filled with thorny bushes especially the
meddlesome SeemaiKaruvelam (Prosopis Julifora)
True to the mission of Siruthuli to create massive green spaces that would serve as
oxygen factories for the surrounding concrete jungle, Siruthuli approached the
IRSME of Southern Railways Shri U Subba Rao to discuss utilizing the space for
plantation and received the go-ahead. A big ray of hope in the form of Ms Minal
Jeswani approached Siruthuli, a Coimbatorean who had moved to the US. Having
heard about the effectiveness of Siruthuli’s Miyawaki plantation, she sought help in
establishing the same within the city. The approval from Railways, and the proposed
project aligned when Ms Minal came forward to fund the project through the agency
Home of Hope along with Spark Round table 323 and Rotary Club of Coimbatore
Smart city.
The bhoomi pooja for the project site was performed on 25th Jun 2020 and the
project was named “Hope Vanam” to acknowledge the sponsorship of Home of Hope
and to signify the importance of converting barren lands into spaces that provide for
the future generations.
The project which began with removing thorny bushes proved
challenging with almost six feet of building debris and garbage below the
undergrowth, the work that was planned for 15 days took nearly three months to
complete. Since the debris could not be moved out of the site as per regulations of
the Railways, bunds were created on the Northern and Southern boundaries using
debris. A low-cost filtration system was designed to treat the sewage channel
running through the site, the water from which is being used to water the saplings
planted in the Vanam. A sedimentation tank has also been constructed to filter the
sludge in the sewage.
The inauguration along with Phase I plantation took place on 3rd October 2020 and
was attended by Shri Subba Rao,IRSME-Divisional Railway Manager, Salem
Division, Shri Annadurai, IRSS Addl DRM, Round Table Area 7 Chairman Mr.
Pradeep Rajappa and Rotary Asst.Governor Rtn.Shri Mayilswamy, who were the
Chief Guests. Siruthuli represented by the Managing Trustee Smt. Vanitha Mohan,
Forests First Convenor Shri V.Chandrasekar, Apex members and staff along with
various volunteers took part in the plantation of 15000 trees. 6450 saplings were
planted in Phase II and 9336 saplings in Phase III, making a total of 30786
consisting of 25 varieties like Punnai, Martha, Magizham, Pungan, Poovarasan,
Neem etc. contributing to a large green space in the region.
Hope Vanam, developed with passion and dedication, stands as a perfect example
of the process of rebuilding an environment with the involvement of the right
stakeholders. The sewage water, which is being treated and used for watering the
saplings is an added value in turning around things that were once bad, which
provides hope for a better tomorrow.
