Kozhikode on a sapling planting drive

Students with the saplings they got from St. Angela's AUP school in Kozhikode on Thursday.

As many as 1,65,000 tree saplings were planted in different parts of the district on Thursday in connection with the World Environment Day observance.

The planting, part of the project ‘Shudham Sundaram Nammude Kozhikode,’ under the aegis of the district administration, was inaugurated by the district panchayat president K. Jameela at Malaparamba Junction in the city.

Hundred of saplings of 32 varieties of trees were planted on either sides of the Kozhikode bypass as part of the drive, which started from 10.30 a.m. District Collector C.A. Latha presided over the function. Historian M.G.S. Narayanan read out an Environment Day pledge to the people, who had gathered for the function.

Addressing the gathering, Ms. Latha said that measures will be adopted to look after the saplings in the future. The tree saplings were planted elsewhere by workers of different cultural and environment organisations, NGOs, cultural clubs, students, Kudumbasree workers and members of residential forums.

A variety of programmes including exhibition of wildlife photographs, film screening, cultural competitions, rallies and talks among other things, were organised as part of the observance in different part of the district. All most all the educational institutions including schools and colleges planted tree saplings in their premises after taking a pledge to protect the environment.

The Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi members utilised the occasion to organise a

sathyagraha in the city seeking a judicial inquiry into different cases of environment destruction and illegal encroachments to forest lands that took place after 1986.

Zamorin K.C.U. Raja attended the tree sapling planting ceremony organised by the Zamorin Guruvayurappan College on its campus. Over 500 tree saplings were planted by the activists of different forums such as the Nature Club, Bhoomitra Sena and National Service Scheme on the campus.

Exhibition

The Kerala Arabic Teachers Federation organised an exhibition of wildlife photographs and scriptures from holy books in support of environment protection at the Town Hall.

The NSS unit at the Government Engineering College, West Hill, organised different cultural competitions including an environment quiz for school students on the occasion.

While the Kudumbasree Community Development Society under the Corporation planted 10,000 saplings in different parts of the city, the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) took the occasion to launch its district-level series of 1,000 environment awareness classes for school students at the BEM Girls LP School at Manachira.

Bhasha Samanwaya Vedi, a cultural forum of readers and writers organised a seminar on the topic ‘Writers concerns on Environment.’