Sudhir Vasudeva, CMD of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), on Tuesday launched the ‘Save the House Sparrow’ campaign to mark the 57th ONGC Day at Tel Bhavan here.
The campaign, initiated by ONGC in association with Action and Research for Conservation in Himalayas (ARCH), a local NGO, aims at the conservation of the dangerously dwindling house sparrow population in the locality and the surrounding region.
“The decline in the number of the sparrows is a natural alarm bell for environmental degradation and we must save them before it is too late,” Mr. Vasudeva said, adding that predator and accident-proof nest boxes will be installed on the campus to help the birds find a better place to rest.
Earlier, inaugurating the programme, Mr. Vasudeva said that everyone in the ONGC family was committed not only to providing energy security but also demonstrating an unwavering commitment to supporting sustainable environmental protection initiatives in the country.
The function began with Mr. Vasudeva placing a floral wreath at the Martyrs’ Memorial column and marking silence for two minutes in memory of all the ONGCians who laid down their lives in the call of duty. Thereafter, he unfurled the ONGC flag and administered the ‘Pledge of commitment’ to all ONGCians. The dignitaries present included A.K. Hazarika, Director-Onshore, U. N. Bose, Director-T&FS, A. K. Banerjee, Director-Finance and some other senior executives of ONGC.
A walk for good health was also held and students from Kendriya Vidyalaya-ONGC made colourful paintings pointing out the need to conserve nature.
