Telangana government aims to plant 113 crore saplings: Minister.

Minister for Environment, Forests, Science & Technology Indrakaran Reddy said on Wednesday that the State Government could ensure planting 113 crore saplings out of a target of 230 crore, across Telangana, as part of the Haritha Haaram programme.

This year, during the fifth phase of the programme, the Government aimed to plant a total of 83 crore saplings, he said, during an event in Adilabad on the occasion of World Environment Day. He planted seedlings and distributed jute bags on Wednesday.

Telangana State Pollution Control Board marked the day by taking out a ‘Green Rally’ with participation from students. The rally was flagged off by the Board’s chairman Rajiv Sharma, who stressed on the need to curb air pollution in the city.

Special Chief Secretary Ajay Mishra said at a meeting that the Telangana Government would initiate a ten-point programme to curb air pollution, which will include promotion of solar energy and control of vehicular pollution. Member Secretary V. Anil Kumar, EPTRI DG Kalyana Chakravarthy, TSIIC VC and MD E.V. Narasimha Reddy, participated in the programme.

Cash prizes and certificates were distributed to winners of essay writing, quiz and painting competitions organised for school students.

Besides, Singareni Collieries organised a meeting, where General Manager-cum-Coordinator Antony Raja spoke about the necessity of reducing usage of pollution-causing vehicles and adopting eco-friendly methods like car pooling. A pledge was also administered for employees on this occasion.

Private organisations like Telangana Citizen’s Council organised programmes to mark the occasion. Eminent environmentalist K. Purushotham Reddy, while participating in an awareness campaign on air pollution at Gowlipura playgrounds, said that apart from causing fatal diseases like lung cancer, air pollution also leads to respiratory disorders and heart diseases.

City Civil Court Legal Services Authority observed World Environment Day on Tuesday, when trees were planted and quiz and essay writing competitions were held for judicial officers and staff members. Prizes were distributed to winners.