Rajya Sabha member and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal inaugurated the Van Mahotsav on Monday by planting saplings at the Mattewara Forest.
The plantation campaign launched by the Public Action Committee (PAC) is aimed at restoring the vacant stretches in the forest and transforming them into a lush green ecosystem. Nearly 4,000 saplings were supplied by Sant Avtar Singh Memorial Nursery, Seechewal.
Addressing the gathering, Seechewal said global warming and climate change had emerged as major challenges for the world. He added several European countries were currently reeling under intense heatwaves, with more than 1,300 deaths reported due to extreme heat.
He emphasised that planting and preserving trees was the most effective way to combat global warming and maintain ecological balance.
Describing Mattewara Forest as “lungs of Punjab”, Seechewal said protecting and expanding forests was a shared responsibility. He urged people to reconnect with nature and plant more trees to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for future generations.
PAC leader Colonel CM Lakhanpal said the organisation had been working consistently for the past four years for development of Mattewara Forest. He claimed that out of the forest’s total area of 4,500 acres, 975 acres of Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) land had already been handed over to the Forest Department, where a dense forest covering nearly 1,000 acres will be developed.
