Mumbai, July 15, 2020: What started as a forestry project, supported by CSR arm of Tata Motors, on a large barren plot in Pune, has now become a lush-green micro-habitat and a recreational attraction to the local communities.
The project area in Warje near Pune, over last three years, has also expanded to nearly 100-acres from the original area of 40-acre of barren land. The project area - named Smrit Van, now witnesses on an average about 1200 visitors daily who enjoy a morning or evening walk in the lap of nature.
A few years back, the Tata Motors had piloted the concept of Urban Forestry in Warje near Pune, in collaboration with Technology, Education, Research and Rehabilitation for the Environment (TERRE) Policy Centre, an international environmental organisation.
To begin with, 8 feet saplings of variety of trees were planted. The plantation includes around 23 indigenous plants species namely Banyan, Peepal, Sonchafa, Apta, Neem, Kanchan, Golden Bamboos, Badam, Kaat, Amla, Umbar etc. To ensure that this project remained sustainable, peoples’ participation was encouraged. People can adopt trees in memory of their loved ones.
The project area named Smriti Van today boasts of more than 6,500 grown up trees. Some have become 25-30 feet tall. Now, the forest is rich in biodiversity with 23 plant species, 29 bird species, 15 butterfly species, 10 reptiles and 3 mammal species. Five water ponds have been built and two watch towers constructed.
Expressing joy, Vinod Kulkarni, CSR - Head, Tata Motors said that since 2015, more than 2000 Tata Motors volunteers have planted over 50,000 indigenous saplings (with 98% survival rate) at Warje. Tata Motors volunteers regularly visit the site to help nurture and develop it.
"The increased green cover has provided the city with fresh clean air with the overall oxygen production going up to 7 lakh kgs and sequestration of 3 lakh kgs of carbon, annually. Additionally, the project also focused on reducing soil erosion by 130%," he said.
The Tata Motors had started the plantation drive on the barren land on June 5, 2009, World Environment Day. To protect the forestry and sustain the drive, the local communities were made the custodian of the forestry project, and they were offered an honorarium to ensure the upkeep of the forest.
By doing this, the CSR team of Tata Motors created a more aware group of citizens towards environmental protection and has demonstrated a high degree of ownership.
"We firmly believe in actively assessing the improvement of the quality of life of the people in the communities, giving preference to local areas around our business operations," Kulkarni said, adding, "In a span of just 3 years, the project that started on a 40-acre barren plot was transformed into a lush greenspace, becoming a micro-habitat and a recreational attraction to the local communities."
Given its environment and community benefits, the CSR project now stands as the grand success among Tata Motors’ CSR activities.
With a focus on engineering and tech enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, Tata Motors is India’s market leader in commercial vehicles and amongst the top four in the passenger vehicles market.
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