Distribution of cloth bags, planting of saplings, awareness rallies and meetings by various government and private organisations and NGOs marked World Environment Day celebrations in the city on Sunday.
An awareness rally was organised by the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway (E Co R) from Railway Station to the DRM s office.
DRM Anup Satpathy and ECoRWWO president Parijata Satpathy led the rally. Saplings were planted at railway colonies in the city as also at other places in the Division
ADRM (infra) Sudhir Kumar Gupta, ADRM (operations) Major Kumar Sahoo, Senior DME Sambid Mohapatra, ECoRWWO vice president Kavita Gupta and Madhumita Sahoo and secretary Priyanka Sridevi participated.
Cloth bags were distributed to the passengers and public at the railway station to propagate the message of ban on single-use plastic.
A street play was staged at the DRM office by Bharat Scouts & Guides of Waltair.
Executive Director in-charge of HPCL Visakh Refinery V. Ratan Raj launched an oxygen terrain at the HPCL employees housing complex, opposite Andhra University In gate. A total of 1,400 plants of 11 different species, that provide continuous oxygen supply, were planted.
Mr. Ratan Raju said that HPCL was working constantly to reduce the carbon emissions in the industry.
HPCL CGM (HR) K. Nagesh also spoke.
Visakhapatnam Port Trust Chairman K. Rama Mohana Rao launched the planting of saplings near the industrial bypass road of Visakhapatnam Port Authority(VPA) on Sunday.
He also flagged off the environment TF Team motorbikes for inspection of all the VPA areas. VPA plans to plant 30,000 saplings this month covering all the left over areas at an estimated cost of ₹1.20 crore.
VPA Deputy Chairman Durgesh Kumar Dubey, Secretary T. Venugopal, Traffic Manager B. Ratna Shekar and CME PM Raju participated.
Awareness activities and campaigns, which included the display of banners to sensitise the personnel on the issues affecting the environment, including cessation of single-use plastic, were undertaken by the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).
Encouraging carpooling, lectures/ seminars, painting competitions, and water conservation awareness/ drives were also organised.
DigiPe Foundation organised an awareness rally on Beach Road. Minister Gudivada Amarnath said that GVMC would provide two cloth bags to each of the six lakh families in the city to make them shun the use of plastic carry bags. He flagged off the awareness rally.
Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari said the objective of GVMC was to make Vizag a ‘platic-free’ city. She appealed to the citizens to take it up as a crusade.
GVMC Deputy Mayor Jiyyani Sridhar commended DigiPe founder Shankar Rao Vysyraju for donating one lakh saplings.
