Navigation

The recent tree plantation drive undertaken by the NMMC where 55000 saplings were planted all over Navi Mumbai in an effort to green the city further. The man who is chiefly responsible for this and other such social activities like adopting the entire Hedurvadi Village at Kharghar.

It also organizes free medical camp every year, medical seminars and free of cost medical treatment for the tribals of Hedurvadi is Subhash Chandra Hande Deshmukh of the Youth Council, Nerul.

Serving the society is a matter of passion and sensitivity towards the poor and sufferings of humanity. It requires dedication, hard work and compassion. It cannot just come by being a member of an NGO or being born in an affluent family. It is necessary to spread awareness among the younger generation towards social and environment concerns, more particularly when it involves afforestation on barren land.

An example of dedication is Subhash Chandra Hande-Deshmukh and his organisation, ‘Youth Council, Nerul’, which undertook afforestation of this region, most of which is reclaimed land.

Inaugurated in 1987, Youth Council, Nerul was started for the benefit of the needy in Navi Mumbai. With the able guidance of the secretary Hande-Deshmukh, the Youth Council has helped in creating a workforce of 50 volunteers for youth, social, educational, cultural and sports fields. Hande-Deshmukh sought the co-operation of RCF (Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers), NMMC and CIDCO to create a green belt in Navi Mumbai by planting over 55,000 trees donated by the RCF. The areas covered include housing societies, schools, police stations, cremation grounds, by-roads, highways and so on.

After watching this performance, CIDCO allotted a 1000sq. m. land for the development of a nursery, which the council named “Savali”. This nursery has regularly been serving citizens in getting the plants of their choice. The CIDCO officials do not charge them for the land, instead take 5,000 saplings every year and plant them in the required areas.

“I believe in community service. Our organisation has been functional since 1987, but hardly anyone knows about it. Our aim has been the development of Navi Mumbai, but we do not want to boast about any achievements,” he said.

The Youth Council, Nerul has been responsible in several other social activities like adopting the entire Hedurvadi Village at Kharghar, organizing free medical camp every year, medical seminars and free of cost medical treatment for the tribals of Hedurvadi. The Council has 17 active members who contribute money from their pockets for helping the needy. They have been organizing regular seminars and awareness campaigns for school children informing them about afforestation and other such activities.

Hande-Deshmukh has practiced journalism for a while so that their cause gets some momentum and the people get the strength to raise their voices against the evils in the society. He strongly feels that money has no place when it comes to social work. “Our organization has a host of people, from politicians to the working middle-class like us, serving the needy. But we run on a no-profit, no-loss basis and refuse to take any financial assistance from the NMMC or any other political organisation. I feel the zeal and the will to work for others is lost if the money factor comes into being,” he concludes.

Kasturi Dongaonkar