Over the last few days, the Army has planted nearly 4,500 saplings in the Maidan, inside Fort William and other garrisons and cantonments in and around Kolkata. On Sunday, 500 more were planted in the Maidan. Among those present at a programme organised near Victoria Memorial were Lt Gen Dalbir Singh, GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, Lt Gen A K Choudhary, GOC, Bengal Area, and several other officers and personnel with their families.

The plantation drive undertaken by the Army is scientific. The saplings haven't been planted in a haphazard manner but in parts where the green cover needs to be replenished. The state forest and public works departments provided the necessary assistance. Tree guards have been provided to prevent animals like goats and sheep from reaching the saplings. These are not made of metal though as experience has proved that metal tree guards are an attraction to drug-addicts and petty crooks on the lookout for some easy money. The tree guards, this time round, are made of strips of bamboo.

"We have planted nearly 5,000 saplings. Even if 2,000 of them survive, the Maidan will look much greener than what it is today. We have selected the places carefully. For example, there is a place where a clump of 20 trees used to exist. People would take shelter in this grove when it got too hot. Now, only five of the trees remain. We want to restore the greenery in such parts of the Maidan," Gen Choudhary said.

According to the GOC-in-C, the Army has taken it upon itself to ensure that the Maidan - the lungs of the city — remains vitalised.

"It is now a known fact that deforestation has led to climate change. The Maidan has enough potential to accommodate more trees. There were sufficient trees along the periphery but bald patches did exist inside. In fact, everybody needs to pitch in and plant at least one tree a year to ensure sufficient greenery. There is a lot of pressure on us from various fronts to give up our efforts to protect the Maidan. As Army officers, we won't stay here for more than two to two and a half years each but when we leave, we want to leave back something for the future generations," Gen Singh said.

A large number of NCC cadets and students from the Army Public Schools at Ballygunge and Fort William and the Army Institute of Management, Kolkata, participated in the drive on Sunday. The GOC-in-C interacted with the youngsters and stressed upon the need for discipline among today's youth. He told them to take up the defence forces as a career.

The Times of India will also play its part in keeping the Maidan clean and green. The TOI Lead India youth brigade members - to be announced shortly - will take this endeavour further. They will help clean and green parts of the Maidan with help from the Army and other stakeholders, including the several clubs that use the ground. Both the GOC-in-C and the GOC welcomed this effort.