Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and CityNeeds announced the culmination of the ‘Tree ATM 3.0’ campaign after planting 22,000 tree saplings at 63 locations across the city.

The culmination of this month-long campaign was announced on Saturday at the Circuit House by MC Vice President Jasdev Singh Sekhon and Maneet Dewan of CityNeeds and others. Harleen Kaur of Act Humane, Dr SB Pandhi of Small Idea Great Idea, Mandeep Keshav Guddu of Marshall Aid Foundation, Harjesh Jain of Neki Ki Rasoi and others were also present at the closing ceremony.

Sekhon and Dewan explained that this milestone of planting 22,000 tree saplings was achieved thanks to the unwavering financial support of Act Humane and the passionate efforts of Marshall Aid Foundation. Harjesh Jain of Neki ki Rasoi provided food to all the volunteers throughout the campaign.

The initiative was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sawhney and Deputy Commissioner of MC Jasdev Sekhon. A toll-free number was opened for the local residents interested in planting the saplings at their respective locations. After receiving confirmation from the interested parties, a team of volunteers themselves came to the location and planted the saplings.

Jasdev Singh Sekhon and Maneet Dewan said that the saplings have been geotagged and CityNeeds will also monitor the situation to ensure the survival of these trees. Under the campaign, native trees of Punjab were planted including Poplar Fig Tree, Neem Tree, Tali Tree, Mango, Jamun, Moringa, Amalta Tree, Kachnar Tree, etc.

Sekhon and Dewan said Tree ATM 3.0 is more than just a planting event. It is a movement towards responsibility, sustainability and community engagement.

This initiative is designed to ensure accuracy and transparency. Each planting site is documented through geo-tagged photographs taken before, during and after planting. The commitment to the care and growth of these seedlings is further reinforced by written commitments from the caretakers at each site. This documentation is securely stored and monitored via a custom mobile app.

The mobile app plays a crucial role in monitoring the growth and health of each individual tree, allowing CityNeeds to track roots and performance.

During the ceremony, Marshall Aid volunteers will be presented with certificates in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the planting campaign.

Sekhon and Dewan said that they would try harder and try to plant at least 50,000 tree saplings next year as part of the campaign. They also called on citizens to join the campaign and do their part to protect the environment.