Members of Hara Bhara Gurgaon pose for a photo at Kachra Chowk.
Residents took another step towards beautifying and converting Kachra Chowk, Gurgaon, into Khushboo Chowk. They painted tyres and turned them into colourful pots to plant trees. They also installed a bird feeder in the area.
The citizens’ group, which goes by the name Hara Bhara Gurgaon, has been trying to beautify the area for quite some time now. Six months ago, this group of Gurgaon residents began a tree-planting drive and zeroed in on Khushboo Chowk on the Gurgaon-Faridabad road. The group has 210 members on Facebook and meets every week or every fortnight to plant saplings at the chowk in DLF Phase I.
Residents paint tyres and turn them into pots to plant trees at Kachra Chowk
Priyanka Sharma, a resident of Valley View Estate, says, "Even Google Maps identifies the site as Kachra Chowk! This is repulsive. We haven’t planted a lot of saplings yet but are picking up pace. We want to inspire people to participate but not make it mandatory for them. We really want to rename it Khushboo Chowk."
“India has so many dry, dusty patches of land that air pollution is a natural outcome. Since grass doesn’t survive here in Gurgaon, we plan to plant bushes in the area,” says Rachin Sharma, a resident of Valley View Estate.
The junction has an unusual name because it was being used as a dumpyard. Sanjay Kaushik, who runs an NGO, has been facilitating the drives undertaken by Hara Bhara Gurgaon. He says, "About two years back, DLF residents started calling it Kachra Chowk as part of a desperate bid to get the attention of government agencies. They wanted them to stop the littering. Not much changed, but the name stuck. While we obviously want government support, we also believe citizens should sometimes take matters in their own hands."
Painted tyres kept as pots to plant trees at Kachra Chowk
