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Where There’s a ‘Wil-low’, There’s a Way: N Balaram’s Plantation Feat Rewrites Records

Swarnadwip Nath Published Aug 24, 2025, 08:25 AM Updated Sep 16, 2026, 08:17 AM

Chairman and Managing Director of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), N. Balaram, has achieved a remarkable feat—personally planting 19,775 trees across the Singareni coalfields since 2019, making him one of India’s foremost corporate leaders in hands-on environmental steward...

Revolutionizing Green Cover in Industrial Heartlands

It’s not just a routine plantation drive, but a movement with measurable impact. When Balaram took charge as CMD, he initiated a personal mission on June 5, 2019—World Environment Day—by planting 108 saplings at Singareni sites. Over the subsequent years, as mining operations expanded, so did his commitment to restoring nature’s balance where it’s needed most. As of July 2025, his tally hit 19,775, a number that continues to climb with each plantation event.

Singareni, known primarily for its coal production, has been transformed into a showcase of corporate environmental action. Saplings now dot areas from Kothagudem to Ramagundam, with Balaram leading from the front in every drive. Through programs like Vanamahotsavam, he also encourages employees, their families, and local villagers to participate, transforming the company’s operational landscapes into stretches of green.

More Than Numbers: Creating a Culture of Environmental Accountability

Balaram’s message is resolute: “Environmental protection cannot be left to the government or public institutions alone. Every individual must take part. Let’s all plant at least three saplings each and encourage our families and communities to do the same.” He promotes the idea that a living green legacy is more meaningful than material inheritance, and believes that everyone’s effort counts in battling climate change and environmental degradation.

Community Impact and Sustainable Change

Under his stewardship, SCCL’s impact extends far beyond his personal effort:

22.9 million fruit trees distributed free to residents of surrounding villages, promoting food security and rural livelihoods.

Over 54.7 million total saplings planted and nurtured on 15,231 hectares—efforts which have lowered local temperatures, improved soil quality, and provided shelter to local fauna.

SCCL’s “Green Mines” image is now a reality, as reforestation efforts even include strategic translocation of full-grown trees when new mines or roads are opened, ensuring old growth is preserved and replanted.

Setting New Benchmarks in Corporate Environmentalism

Balaram’s approach is hands-on: he’s often seen with mud on his hands and saplings ready for planting. He celebrates milestones not with pomp, but with fresh plantation drives. On his birthday this July, he marked the occasion by planting 204 fruit saplings at Kothagudem—a gesture that encapsulates his philosophy of meaningful celebration.

His efforts have won widespread recognition from state leaders, environmental groups, and most importantly—the thousands of miners and villagers who draw tangible benefits from improved green cover and healthier local environments. Inspired by his “lead-by-doing” strategy, thousands within Singareni’s ranks participate in the vanamahotsav drives, amplifying the impact across the company’s extensive coal belt.

A Living Inspiration

For Balaram, each sapling is both a commitment and a message—a legacy for future generations and a challenge to peers across Indian industry. He continues to urge each stakeholder, from SCCL employees to residents of Telangana, to take personal responsibility for the environment. As the rainy season approaches, he has called on every household to nurture at least three fruit saplings for their own benefit and the community’s future.

The Road Ahead

SCCL’s current target is to plant another 40,000 saplings this year, with robust support from management, labor unions, and the wider community. As Balaram succinctly puts it: “The greatest asset we can gift to future generations is greenery through tree plantation.”

Relevant Sources: Global Green News, Deccan Chronicle, Telangana Today, The Hans India

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