PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/DEHRADUN
The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) on Thursday launched a large-scale plantation and sapling distribution campaign on the occasion of Harela under the ‘Green Dehradun-Clean Dehradun’ theme. MCD also began the distribution of vegetable plants under its Mission Poshan Sankalp initiative.
Dehradun mayor Saurabh Thapliyal and municipal commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey inaugurated the campaign by planting saplings at the MCD premises and called upon citizens to actively participate in environmental conservation.
Thapliyal said that Harela is not merely a festival but a commitment towards protecting nature and ensuring a cleaner and greener future for coming generations. He said that if every citizen plants a sapling and takes responsibility for its care, the goal of making Dehradun an environmentally sustainable city can be achieved.
Pandey informed that under Mission Poshan Sankalp, women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in coordination with ward councillors have started door-to-door distribution of saplings across all 100 wards. MCD plans to distribute around four to five lakh vegetable plants to encourage households to develop nutritious kitchen gardens.
Thapliyal urged all councillors to ensure maximum public participation and make the plantation and sapling distribution campaign successful in their respective wards. The councillors also pledged to motivate residents to take part in plantation activities and environmental protection efforts.
The MCD also announced that in the coming weeks it will undertake plantation drives in schools and Anganwadis by planting moringa saplings, besides carrying out large-scale plantation at parks, public places, encroachment-free land and other identified sites. Around 70,000 fruit-bearing, shade and fodder species saplings will be planted and distributed during the campaign. According to officials, all planted saplings will be GPS-mapped and entered into a Green Register (digital plant tracker) to ensure their protection and regular monitoring. Pandey appealed to citizens, social organisations, schools, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Self-Help Groups to actively participate in the month-long campaign, which will be conducted in phases across different parts of the city.
