New Delhi: Meet Rohit Mehra, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of 2004 batch and currently posted as Additional Commissioner of Income Tax at Amritsar in Punjab! He is a champion of ‘Green’ cause. He does not only check tax evasions but also contributes his bit to the protection of the environment. It is his love for Mother Nature which has led to the plantation of nearly 12 lakh saplings, growing of 700 vertical gardens and 250 forests at places like Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Gurdaspur, and Mohali in Punjab; Delhi, Jammu, Surat, and Baroda in the past five years.

In his interactions with media persons, Mehra admits that whatever he is doing is his passion aimed at increasing green cover. It is his service to the environment. In one of his interviews, he recalls: “About five years ago my son’s school declared a holiday because of bad air quality caused by smog. I thought at that time that I could not ensure clean air for my children. It triggered me to do something for the environment.” His family was living in Ludhiana at that time.

Mehra along with a team of volunteers converted several dump yards into mini-jungles. Besides, the urban forests were created in industrial areas, over Panchayat lands and near canals, he adds. Recently, his team has grown mini-jungles over eight acres of land at Dhianpur village in Batala and over two acres in Amritsar. He has also prepared a syllabus for the course of urban forest developer, which is a part of the National Skills Qualifications Framework for urban forest developer.

Amritsar born Mehra has also written three books – ‘Gift Lungs to Future Generation,’ ‘How to Make Urban Forests’ and ‘31 Green Habits to Save the Planet.’ He calls his efforts of giving back to mother earth as a divine experience, who gets 100 per cent support from his family. He is also called for sharing his knowledge at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, IITs, IIMs and AYUSH Department.

What Mehra does mean a lot to all living creatures! The world today is facing unprecedented, interconnected environmental challenges in areas including climate change, clean water, ocean health and biodiversity. New efforts are needed to increase stewardship of natural resources, implement innovative solutions, and contribute to sustainable development. To accelerate progress, several frameworks are needed to embed sustainability into our strategies and take action to secure a resilient future. /BI/