The green cover of the city is hardly 23 per cent far below the prescribed 33 per cent, which needs to be filled, according to Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana.
Appreciating the combined initiative of the tree plantation drive hosted jointly by The Hindu and Essar Foundation at Mahatma Jyothiba Phule Andhra Pradesh Backward Classes Welfare Residential School, Adavivaram, to mark the World Environment Day, he said that everybody should be aware of the global issues and wake up to the realities and contribute to conserve the planet.
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“A recent survey by students of IIT New Delhi and other environmentalists has clearly indicated that the sea level is likely to rise up to three metres by the end of the century. There is a need to tackle such issues otherwise world would become a difficult place to live,” the Municipal Commissioner said.
The Essar Group has already planted 40,000 trees across the city and aims at adding one lakh trees in the next five years. Encouraging the NCC cadets to be more environmentally-conscious, Head-Operations of Essar Steel India K. Bhaktavatsalam spoke on the theme of the World Environment Day: ‘Small Islands Developing States’ and the slogan: ‘Raise your voice, not the sea level’.
After planting some 120 trees on the school campus, some of the invitees, organisers of the event and a few NCC cadets headed to Chavulamadam, opposite main gate of Essar Plant to plant another 240 trees.
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Regional general manager of The Hindu T.V. Suresh, head (HR and Administration) of Essar Steel D.S. Varma, head of environment K. Satyaprasad and DGM-CSR Deepak David, Commanding Officer of 13 Andhra Battalion Colonel V.N. Bharadwaj, principal of the school K. Satyavathi and chairman of VPT Pollution Monitoring Committee S. Rama Krishna Rao participated.