Miscreants Set Fire to Vegetation near Government Housing Colony Bondel Maidan
Mangaluru: All I can think of is that a Psycho or a bunch of Psychos could have done such a nasty thing by setting alight dry plants on fire, and unfortunately the blaze rapidly spread to the rest of the protected area, where fruit and flower plants also perished in the fire. Eyewitness say that one specially abled person had set the fire, and when the fire started to spread he took the help of other two men to douse the fire- but all in vain. The fire kept burning and eventually died down. Meanwhile, other residents from that area say that a bunch of youngsters always create a nuisance and do unwanted things- so this could be their job. But this devastation has made Environmentalist Krishnappa K sad, since he has been taking care of some of these plants, by watering and caring for them.
Even though the vegetation/trees belong to the Forest Department, Krishnappa has always taken a keen interest in nursing these plants and trees- and he does it with his own expenses. The plentiful green you see near the Bondel Maidan (which was once planned by MCC to convert it into a Cricket Stadium, but the project was put on hold due to local protests) is the result of Krishnappa’s efforts over the last so many years. He’s rigged up a system, where the plants can get water from old water cans; a stick inside the cans invites thirsty birds for a drink. How many men does it take to turn a rocky and parched hill, spread over quite a big area, into a lush green paradise that birds find irresistible? The answer is one. And this man named Krishnappa has proved it. It took him many years of back-breaking toil, but his efforts have borne much fruit. But when miscreants create all this trouble, it really hurts him- and all he can do is curse those people or person who did it- and I don’t blame Krishnappa for that.
But every time, he went up the hill, it bothered him to find its scanty vegetation-withering away in the heat. One day, he decided to do something about it. “I could see a few plants around, but they obviously weren’t tended to. I built small bunds around each and watered them. It was quite a task, which I soon realised was also in vain. This wasn’t going to work. It was too hot and the water would seep in too fast. Someone told him that drip irrigation was the best way to save the trees. But with his limited income, there was no way he could afford to lay pipelines to nurture the plants and trees. Later one day, when he was trying to junk an expired water can, the idea came. “Why not use this for drip irrigation? I had plenty of such cans at my disposal. Using them would be cost-effective and would easily serve the purpose,” said Krishnappa. Apart from this, he constantly waters these plants using the water hose.
Krishnappa has also put up conservation messages all around, in the hope that others would respect and add to the greenery. This one good man’s work has saved more than 100 trees in this area. But his work here is far from over. The Good Samaritan’s efforts have often been put to test. Many times, the messages on environment and greenery are damaged by graffiti done by youth who loiter that area. And now yet another biggest threat his efforts face comes from miscreants setting forest fires.
“I have been seeing trouble in this area created by people especially youth for many years. In the summer, someone would come and set the forest ablaze. In fact, it was found that it had become something of a ritual for a few people to light up the forest every year. The flora is burnt to the ground, as a result. Even today, you can see the burnt around the area. I have informed the concerned authorities, and I hope they’ll do something about it. However, unless we educate the locals especially the younger generation, it may be of little help. When I see the burnt land along with plants and trees it hurts me a lot. Whoever set this fire should come forward and apologise, if not God will punish them for sure,” said Ramesh, adding he has never expected any financial help from anyone.
In yet another related story regarding converting the Bondel Maidan into a Cricket stadium, the Bondel Maidan Development Samithi has opposed the proposal of constructing a cricket stadium on the 10-acre plot located in the Government Housing Colony at Bondel and strongly demanded the government to convert the site into a multi-purpose playground. As there are no sports, recreation and park facilities in the vast swathe of land from Kadri Park up to Mangalore City Corporation’s north border at Gurpur river, the residents are alarmed at the prospect of a gated exclusive cricket stadium, shutting out all other forms of sports and games. Now, they are using the ground as the safe walking track, and a few are taking car driving classes?
Nearly half a dozen schools near the area don’t have a play ground. Around 5,000 children use it as a playground. Nobody is against cricket, but in the name of game, the ground should not be handed over to corporates. The local say that there should be a playground in every ward for better health of people. It is learnt that one area resident had levelled a hilly area into a ground with the help of giant earth-leveling machines of KIOCL. The proposal of the playground is with MCC from the past 25 years, but files are not moving because of influential persons, it is noted. The public is asked for their support to retain the property worth Rs 200 crore for the use of locals. Meanwhile, a tentative plan for multi-purpose playground has been released, it is learnt.
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