DHANBAD: Bharatiya Yuva Seva Vahini, a social outfit, launched a massive green drive from Dhangi hills, planting over 600 saplings of neem and pipal on June 30.
Chandrashekhar Agarwal, Mayor, Dhanbad, Kishore Kaushal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Vijay Lakra, divisional forest officer and ChandramohanKashyap, Municipal Commissioner were present at theoccasion.
The Vahini teaming up with schools and other social outfits are planning to plant two lakh saplings within a month across the district, particularly colliery areas with open cast coal mines, to reduce air pollution. In five years, it hopes to plant 2.8 crore saplings in the district.
Rupesh Sinha, president of the outfit said, “We are concerned over air pollution, especially when a recent report of Green Peace India for 2017 indicated Jharia was the most polluted among 313 towns and cities of India.”
“We will protect saplings with barricades, but more importantly, we will involve people, especially schoolchildren, as tree guardians”,Sinha added. DivenTiwary, General Secretary of the outfit agreed it was important to involve children in planting drives to teach them to value greenery.
On July 1, the team will go to Barmasia area of Dhanbad to plant the saplings.