Minister stresses on protection of saplings

Rajamahendravaram: Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Minister K Durgesh stressed the need for the protection of trees, which are vital for environmental conservation and human survival.

During the Vana Mahotsav event held at the Arts College campus here on Friday, he urged everyone to participate in the plantation programme and plant trees responsibly, and ensure their care.

The Minister suggested starting eco-clubs in schools to encourage students to plant saplings and take responsibility for trees. He pointed out that deforestation disrupts environmental balance and leads to climate change.

He called upon citizens to uphold their duty to preserve nature and proposed organising cleaning of riverbanks and large-scale tree plantation on September 2, to mark the birthday of Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan.

The Minister assured his support for social forestry development programmes. He stressed that planting and maintaining trees today will benefit future generations with oxygen and fruits.

District Collector P Prasanthi said that the district would extensively conduct Vana Mahotsav activities following the State government directives. A 60-day plan has been prepared to plant trees in various locations, including schools, colleges, vacant government lands, industries, and along roads. Measures will be taken to ensure the survival of each sapling. She acknowledged that reduced tree cover contributes to rising temperatures.

Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary encouraged everyone to plant at least one tree per household.

District forest officer B Nagaraju announced a target to plant 1.5 million trees this year.City MLA Adireddy Srinivas, Arts College Principal K Ramachandra Rao, RDO KL Siva Jyothi, and Icon Rotary Club representative T Raja also participated.