Green Campuses, Healthier Kashmir: PARAS Health, Kashmir Concern lead valley-wide climate push
Mega plantation drive at Amar Singh College Srinagar launches collaborative, health-led environmental campaign
STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, APRIL 02 (STC): In a significant step toward promoting environmental sustainability in Kashmir’s educational institutions, PARAS Health Srinagar, in collaboration with Kashmir Concern, on Thursday organised a mega plantation drive under the “Green Campus for Clean Air” initiative at the historic Amar Singh College in Srinagar.
The event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders including academicians, healthcare professionals, environmentalists, civil society members, journalists, and students—united by a shared commitment to building a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Kashmir.
The drive was inaugurated by a distinguished panel of dignitaries, including Prof. (Dr.) Ajaz Hakak, Principal of Amar Singh College; Dr. Murtuza Habib, Facility Director, PARAS Health Srinagar; Saleem Beg, Convenor, INTACH J&K Chapter; G.N. Qasba, Patron, Kashmir Concern; Shahid Jibran, journalist; Nazir Ganaie, noted pulmonologist; Dr. Naveed Nazir, Head of Community Medicine; Dr. Saleem Ahmad Khan; and Dr. Nusrat, Head of the Department of Botany at Amar Singh College, along with her team.
The programme also witnessed participation from prominent voices across sectors, including Dr. Touseef Bhatt (Chairman, Kashmir Concern), Manzoor Wangnoo (Chairman, NLCO), Advocate Sajad Mir, Sheikh Basher (hotelier), Dr. S.M. Saleem Khan (HOD, GMC and Rotarian), besides forest officials, entrepreneurs, media representatives, and over 50 volunteers from Kashmir Concern.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Touseef Bhatt said the initiative marked a collective commitment to a healthier future. “This plantation drive reflects what can be achieved through strong institutional partnerships. With the support of Amar Singh College and PARAS Health, we are not just planting trees, but investing in the long-term well-being of Kashmir,” he said.
Prof. (Dr.) Ajaz Hakak reaffirmed the college’s commitment to environmental stewardship, underscoring the role of educational institutions as “living laboratories” for sustainable practices.
Highlighting the critical link between environment and public health, Facility Director, PARAS Health Srinagar, Dr. Murtuza Habib stressed that increasing green cover is vital to addressing rising respiratory illnesses, improving air quality, and enhancing overall quality of life.
He also outlined a broader roadmap for scaling the “Greener Kashmir” campaign, with a focus on developing campus-centric green models, promoting native plantations, strengthening waste management systems, and creating clean-air corridors.
Emphasising community engagement, Dr. Habib said the initiative would encourage students and local communities to adopt and maintain green spaces to ensure the long-term survival of saplings. He added that PARAS Health plans to integrate environmental action with public health outreach, including awareness campaigns on pollution-related diseases, while also nurturing a network of youth “Green Ambassadors” to drive grassroots climate action.
He further noted that PARAS Health Srinagar aims to work closely with the Department of Forest, Environment and Ecology to expand the initiative across the Valley.
The drive culminated in the plantation of hundreds of native saplings—including fruit-bearing trees, flowering plants, and ornamental species such as golden cypress—across the Amar Singh College campus, with enthusiastic participation from students, forest officials, and volunteers.
More than a symbolic exercise, the initiative underscores how collaborative action between institutions, communities, and the healthcare sector can play a transformative role in shaping a sustainable future for Kashmir.
The plantation drive was enthusiastically participated in by several dignitaries who ceremonially initiated the event by planting saplings, including, editor, Sajjad Bazaz, Advocate Sajad Mir, Sheikh Basher, Dr. Rouf Ahmed, Dr. Khalid Ahmed, Dr. Naveed Nazir Shah, Khartik Chopra, Priya Thapar, Dr. Shafat Ahmad, Ali Mohd Loan, Rauf Tramboo, Azeeta Qureshi (JKAS), Dr. Mohammad Rayees Dar, Sheikh Tariq, Gazala Abdullah, Sheikh Altaf (with staff), Nisar Ahmad Malik (with team), Aejaz Paul, G.M. Dar, Shabir Hussain, Range Officer JK Forest (with team), Dr. Farooq, Dr. Shahid Jibran, Sheikh Raashid, Khair Ul Nissa, Khalid Aslam, Mr. Imran & Imtiyaz Chisti, Afaq Khan, Narendar Singh Bali, Adil Shah, Architect Izwan Ahmad Bhat, Azhar Tantray, Fahd Khan, Sajad Bazaz, Muntazir Nazir, Vikas Shams, Basit Lateef, Shah Gowhar, Peer Arfat, Rashid Khan, Munazah Qazi, Zainab Yaqoob, Malik Sarah, Muntaza Manzoor, Navneet Kour, Sajid Markazi, Masheed Zehra, Moomin Mehraj, Shahnawaz Mukhtar, Athar Wani, Syed Arsalan Bukhari, Arshid Dar, Syed Farhat Hussain, Tariq Patloo, Jannat Tariq, and Faizan Salmani along with 55 volunteers of Kashmir Concern.
(Straight Talk Communications)
