In June-July this year, under the banner of Green Hills Group, several nature enthusiasts, corporate volunteers, schools kids and hired laborers planted close to 3500 (yet to be counted) saplings on the ARAI/MIT hilltop. The job of plantation was all over by the time I joined GHG. One of these weekends, after I started going regularly for the GHG meetings, we (myself and Sanjay) met the forest officer Mr. Khalate, who advised us to get the soil softened in the span of 1.5 / 2 feet radius of each sapling. In marathi it is to make an "ala"(soil work) around each sapling.
The task on hand then was to clear the grass that had grown around the sapling and make the "ala". Getting this job done for each sapling to 25-30 minutes. we arrived at a rate/cost we could afford to pay per sapling (Rs 8 per sapling) and decided to engage some labor to get this done.
Amol - a caretaker of the private land around the MIT/ARAI Tekdi has been
working in our Society (Sigma One) since the time people started
inhabiting Sigma One premises. He cleans cars and at times gets
employed as driver. It was 3-4 weeks ago he lost his driving job and requested me to find one for him. It made perfect sense to engage Amol for the GHG job on the hilltop. Fortunately he agreed and work began in the 3rd week of September. He in turn engaged 3-4 other laborers as getting this job done for 3500 saplings was a mammoth task.
The work began and they started completing the job of clearing grass and softening the soil in the periphery of each sapling - they could do this for 250-300 saplings in a week's time and earning some livelihood for themselves. Rs. 2000-2500 per week shared between 4 people...
After the first week, I realized that, to be able to make the payment, it was necessary to count the saplings where the work was completed. So, we bought colored satin ribbons to tag the completed ones and started the tagging job on weekly basis so that payments could be done immediately.
In the process of counting, got close to the soil, the nature and the people (from GHG and the labourers) who are working hard to turn this piece of land green.
The task on hand then was to clear the grass that had grown around the sapling and make the "ala". Getting this job done for each sapling to 25-30 minutes. we arrived at a rate/cost we could afford to pay per sapling (Rs 8 per sapling) and decided to engage some labor to get this done.
Amol - a caretaker of the private land around the MIT/ARAI Tekdi has been
working in our Society (Sigma One) since the time people started
inhabiting Sigma One premises. He cleans cars and at times gets
employed as driver. It was 3-4 weeks ago he lost his driving job and requested me to find one for him. It made perfect sense to engage Amol for the GHG job on the hilltop. Fortunately he agreed and work began in the 3rd week of September. He in turn engaged 3-4 other laborers as getting this job done for 3500 saplings was a mammoth task.
The work began and they started completing the job of clearing grass and softening the soil in the periphery of each sapling - they could do this for 250-300 saplings in a week's time and earning some livelihood for themselves. Rs. 2000-2500 per week shared between 4 people...
After the first week, I realized that, to be able to make the payment, it was necessary to count the saplings where the work was completed. So, we bought colored satin ribbons to tag the completed ones and started the tagging job on weekly basis so that payments could be done immediately.
In the process of counting, got close to the soil, the nature and the people (from GHG and the labourers) who are working hard to turn this piece of land green.
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