One of the most heartwarming Annual Reports to come Madras Musings’ way is the 2012-2013 report of Nizhal, the NGO focussed on trees. Here are excerpts from it.

l The ongoing Green Prisons Programme is all set for the next major step – the marketing of the vermicompost generated. The Nizhal team and the prison authorities have worked in a sustained manner towards this.

Excellent reports from prison officials on work at Puzhal, Madurai, Palayamkottai (which currently showcases an excellent integrated farming model), Coimbatore, Salem, Trichy, Pudukottai, Vellore and Cuddalore prisons have been received. Many have about 1000 kg of compost ready to be marketed.

The prison campuses are greener, and so are the minds of all those participants who relish the organic vegetables and fruits they grow in their kitchen gardens. Puzhal Women’s Prison has recorded an amazing transformation with organic vegetables and composting work going ahead full steam.

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l Nizhal is now working with the Chennai Corporation to sensitise Green Corporation Schools and to develop one Model School in each of the 15 Zones across Chennai. The aim is to get students interested in sensitive greening – green campuses, tree care, composting leaf litter, and raising organic vegetables. The idea is to create green working minds in order to make their neighbourhoods green too, aided by their experience with greening in their institutions.

The schools Nizhal has already started with in the Palliyil Nizhal programme are:

Chennai High School, Kottur; Chennai High School, Tiruvanmuyur; Chennai High School, Ashok Nagar; Chennai Boys’ High School, Nungambakkam; Chennai Middle School, Gandhigramam; and Chennai Middle School, NS Garden, R.A. Puram.

Nizhal is developing Chennai High School, Tiruvanmiyur, as a model Pasumai Palli for its green project Nam satthu, nam kaiyil. Quizzes, organic vegetable patches, composting practices and increasing biodiversity will be the focus during the year.

Apart from its work with Chennai Corporation high schools, Nizhal is involved with several private schools across the city.

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l There has been a steady flow of enthusiasts into the Kotturpuram Tree Park and very soon it will be a “must visit” urban biodiversity area in Chennai.

Many of the native species have been attracting fauna of various kinds – we regularly see brilliant coloured insects, birds, mongoose and herds of deer too!

The compound wall on the river bank side is being raised by the Corporation.

The Friends of Kotturpuram Tree Park has been registered as a society, and works at involving citizens in creating an urban biodiversity park.

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l Chennai Corporation has invited Nizhal to suggest trees for planting in various tree parks in several zones. Nizhal has visited park areas in Zones 5,9,11,13,14 and 15 and has drawn up plans for these parks. Plans are afoot to get them going with Corporation support and community involvement. Madhavaram Tree Park has been a challenging tree park, but around 200 saplings have been planted during the year.

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l Nizhal has led several Tree Walks. Kotturpuram Tree Park has been much sought after venue for tree walks for two reasons: chiefly for the variety of species it boasts and secondly, for the story of its development – entirely by volunteers – from concept to completion. Walks have been held at as many as 20 other venues in the city.

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l Nizhal has been constantly in touch with the Chief Minister’s Cell and the Forest Department on the enactment of an Urban Trees Preservation Act for Tamil Nadu. Last year, the Minister in charge announced it officially, and we hope that it will come into effect very soon.