Plantation drive, awareness rallies mark World Environment Day in Visakhapatnam
District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad flagged off a 'green rally', taken out from the Kali Matha temple to the AU Convention Centre on Beach Road. The programme was organised under the aegis of the Forest Department, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, GVMC and other departments.
The Collector said that a campaign was launched to plant 5 lakh saplings across the district. The target was to plant over a million saplings in the district. He called upon the organisers to ensure protection and growth of the plants.
The Collector called upon the public to shun the use of plastic. He reminded that 'single-use plastic' has already been banned. Plastic is causing untold harm to public health, including cancer. It is also harming marine life, he said and commended Divis Labs, Coromandel and other industries and NGOs for becoming a part of the sapling promotion.
Waltair Railway Division celebrated the day with enthusiasm and commitment, emphasising its dedication to environmental protection and sustainability.
This year's theme, 'Beat Plastic Pollution,' highlights the need to end plastic pollution, and the division has actively focused on raising public awareness on plastic ban and promoting large-scale plantation drives.
It organised a series of activities from May 22 to June 5. These initiatives were aimed at reducing plastic pollution and enhancing green cover across the division.
Railway employees across the division pledged to adopt eco-friendly habits in their daily lives. Thousands of saplings of various species were planted at multiple locations, including railway colonies and community spaces.
The Dolphin Nose Railway Colony witnessed active participation of ADRM (Operations) Manoj Kumar Sahoo, ADRM (Infra) E. Santharam, and other branch officers.
Further, ECoRWWO organised community plantation programmes to preserve biodiversity and enhance green cover. ECoR WWO president Jyotsna Bohra, along with vice-president Madhusmita Sahoo, Secretary Ankita Sharma, and other executive members, graced the event at Anurag Montessori School.
Cleanliness campaigns were held at key stations and colonies including Duvvada, Vizianagaram, Simhachalam, Srikakulam Road, Koraput, Rayagada, Jagdalpur, and Kirandul, emphasising the importance of waste management and plastic reduction.
Chief Medical Officer D. Sarath Babu, along with his team, participated in mass plantation drives, reinforcing the link between a healthy environment and public health.
A 'Swachh Bharat' drive was organised to commemorate the World Environment Day, at Duvvada Railway Station on Thursday.
A total of 28 persons, representing various associations, participated in the clean and green initiative, organised by K. Eswar, Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) Member and MSN Murthy, secretary, Manavavikas Vedika.
The announcements on eco-awareness, made on the public address system by Durga Laxmi, MS Rao Duvvada Railway staff, drew the attention of passengers boarding and alighting trains at the station.
The clean and green programme was followed by free distribution of RO water bottles to around 450 passengers travelling in general compartments of Shirdi Express and Prasanthi Express by Kameswara Rao and Bhaskar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
Govt. urged to lay 400 kVA Padubidri-Kasaragod power transmission line underground
The Society for Forest, Environment, and Climate Change, Mangaluru, urged the government to lay the 115-km-long 400 kVA power transmission line from Padubidri in Udupi district to Kasaragod in Kerala underground using latest technology in order to save trees and protect environment. Addressing reporters here on Saturday, Benedict C. Fernandes, the society's secretary, said that such a transmission line has been laid underground in Chennai using the latest technology. If the line is installed overhead, about 1.78 lakh trees, which are in private properties, will have to be felled. In addition, about 3,000 trees on the government land will have to be cut down, he said, adding that the axing of trees will affect the environment of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, he said. Mr. Fernandes said that in January, the Forest Department in Dakshina Kannada gave permission for the project proponent to fell trees on the government land. When the society challenged it before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), it stayed the move on August 1. He claimed that the project proponent has obtained only 'in-principle approval' or stage I clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. 'Final approval or stage II clearance by the Ministry is required before commencing any work on the ground,' Mr. Fernandes said. The secretary claimed that the project proponent has already erected 35 transmission towers even before obtaining stage II clearance. 'No work can commence just by obtaining stage I clearance on the Parivesh portal for projects that require forest clearance. The stage I clearance signifies that the proposal has been accepted only in principle,' he claimed. Mr. Fernandes said that if stage II clearance is obtained, the project proponent has to identify farmers who will lose their land to the project and pay them compensation, as per supplementary guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Power on March 21, 2025. As per the guidelines, the compensation amount to be fixed should be the market value of the land, and this has to be decided by a five-member committee headed by the chairman, which, in this case, will be Deputy Commissioner. 'So far no such committee has been formed,' Mr. Fernandes said. He expressed concern that the radiation that will be emitted by the proposed transmission line would create health issues among people living in the vicinity.
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- The Hindu
World Elephant Day 2025: Looking out for the gentle giants
Every year, August 12 is observed as World Elephant Day to bring the spotlight on protecting one of the most magnificent animals to walk the earth. This year, Coimbatore played host to the celebrations organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. With mitigating human-elephant conflict at the centre of the celebrations, the event brought together top officials from the MoEF&CC, the Forest Department, frontline staff who work tirelessly in the field, and mahouts who care for elephants. Here are some highlights from the event. Honouring unsung heroes Gaj Gaurav Awards were instituted to seven field staff and mahouts from across India in recognition of their work in elephant conservation. S Karthikeyan, Forest Guard and M Murali Anti-Poaching Watcher, both from Dharmapuri Circle, were the awardees from Tamil Nadu. Thirty-four-year-old Murali has been actively involved in risky elephant rescue operations across Forest Circles, while Karthikeyan was honoured for patrols along areas of man-elephant conflict to monitor animal movement. In April this year, he rescued injured elephants at the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary. 'Elephants entering human habitation tend to fall into open wells when agitated, especially at night when they try to raid crops,' says 32-year-old Karthikeyan. He has observed this up close in villages on the fringes of forests in Hosur. 'Some people light firecrackers to chase elephants that venture into their fields,' he says, adding: 'There are several open, abandoned wells in the region, and the animals get hurt when they slip and fall.' He recalls the recent rescue of one such elephant by his team of ten. 'I urge people living near forests to enclose wells with walls for the sake of elephants,' he says. With love, from Gudalur Gudalur-based socio-environmental enterprise The Real Elephant Collective, known for crafting life-size elephants made of lantana, had displayed a handful of elephants constructed by tribal people from villages in and around Gudalur in the Nilgiri hills. But what stood apart was a small collection of animal and bird miniatures, done with impeccable attention to detail. 'We have 16 pieces as part of the collection, including five birds, eight animals, and trees and bushes,' says Tariq Thekaekara from the Collective. They have been sculpted by hand with wood from Senna Spectabilis, an invasive plant that poses a major threat to the Nilgiri biosphere, removed with support from the Forest Department. While the team's lantana elephants have travelled the world — they have been displayed in the UK, US, apart from several cities in India — they now want to carve birds and animals that are not as popular. These include the Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri marten, spotted deer, jungle fowl, Indian giant squirrel, hornbill, among others. Hand-carved by tribal women using simple tools, these are animals and birds the people grew up seeing. The miniatures will initially be available for sale in all the Forest Department eco shops in the Nilgiris, Mudumalai, Bandipur and Wayanad, and can also be purchased online soon. While the women are now working from the Collective's office in Gudalur, they will eventually have the freedom to make the figurines from home. For enquiries, email info@ Elephant tales Kirti Vardhan Singh, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, released An Ancient Bond: The Elephant Whisperers of Mudumalai, a coffee table book by Tarsh Thekaekara featuring photos of elephants and their mahouts, and the children's book The Lost Elephant and the Soul Tree published by Westland's Red Panda. Suitable for children aged eight to 12, The Lost Elephant and the Soul Tree was inspired by the author's reportage across elephant camps in the Western Ghats. Little Girl, LG for short, a mischievous elephant calf gets separated from her herd when they cross a tea plantation. She ends up in an elephant camp in the forest for abandoned and problematic elephants, and must summon every ounce of courage to find her way back home. Her only hope is the Soul Tree, a living, breathing portal into faraway landscapes. With the help of two feisty old elephants and a fierce tusker with a tender heart, she sets out to find it on a full-moon night, braving dark jungles and predators on the lurk. The story will take readers into the workings of an elephant herd, introducing issues such as disappearing forests, man-animal conflict, and elephant behaviour. Set in the dense sholas of Tamil Nadu, it has magic and adventure, and is an ode to the many steely elephant matriarchs who would die to protect their herd. Available at book stores and online.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Electric poles over palm saplings at Vedaranyam beach raise concern
The installation of new electric poles along the Sannathi Kadarkarai Salai, the route from the Vedaranyeswarar temple to the sea, over palm trees and other sapplings planted a few years ago by Forest Department, activists, and Vedaranyam Municipality has caused concern among environmental activists and local residents. The stretch, historically used during Aadi Amavasai and other auspicious days for the temple deity's ceremonial sea dip, is a popular evening gathering spot among residents and visitors. The route ends at the Vedaranyam beach, a local tourist attraction. In recent weeks, Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd. (TNPDCL) has erected about 20 poles — 12 of them over a 400-metre stretch — close to the beach, ostensibly to provide lighting. However, activists say the location of the poles was unsuitable as the area was part of a green cover initiative. The Forest Department and the local municipality had planted over 300 palm and around 108 other saplings five years ago along this stretch. Nam Tamilar Katchi's Sutruchuzhal Pasarai district secretary P. Jagadeesan, who has been maintaining the palm trees across the stretch for the past five years, said it was worrying as four trees were cut to make way for the poles. 'This is a sensitive area with growing palm and other native species. We have approached the District Collector to intervene in the matter,' he said. If the palm trees grow, they would touch the overhead live wires, he added. When contacted, a senior TNPDCL official said the matter would be examined.
