Hyderabad: Ameenpur Utsav 2020 to be held today

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Special Protection Force, in association with Sangareddy District Collector and Hyderabad Birding Pals and Friends of Flora and Fauna, is organising a medical camp, painting, essay writing, quiz, singing, dancing and skit competitions for school children at Ameenpur on the lake bund of Pedda Cheruvu on February 1, on the occasion of "Ameenpur Utsav, 2020" being celebrated for the third consecutive year. Tejdeep Kaur Menon, Director General of Telangana Special Protection Force & Convenor of Biodiversity Heritage Site Management Committee, said the campaign is part of the joint initiative of TSSPF, HBP and FoFF to raise the level of consciousness and involve children, particularly school goers, in the efforts to rejuvenate the Ameenpur lake system.

A health camp for school children in Ameenpur mandal and adjacent areas is being hosted. The health camp will be especially for eye and dental check-ups for the school children. The health camp will be conducted in association with Mallareddy Hospital and the eye camp will be conducted in association with Lawrence & Mayo. There will also be competitions on nature-related themes.

For the students of VIII, IX and X classes, competitions will be held in quiz, skits, group singing, dancing and painting on the theme of preservation of wildlife and rejuvenation of nature. The Essay writing competition will be conducted on the theme "The driving need to rejuvenate forests and lakes as they are our life givers and their degradation means the end of existence of life on the Earth." It would be both in English and Telugu.

"We are also organizing Rangoli competition 'Muthyala Muggu' on the lake bund as part of the campaign to enrich the Biodiversity Heritage Site. Women and girls of Ameenpur village will take part in a unique Rangoli competition", she said, adding prospective contestants will make colourful Rangolis based on images of birds, flowers, leaves, trees and animals to spread the message of conservation of Nature and protection of birds and animals.

As a token of appreciation, the TSSPF will give the participating women and girls a steel utensil as a gift apart from the awards for the prize winners in three different age groups. This is a part of the ongoing efforts in the crusade to widen awareness about the rejuvenation of the Ameenpur lake, which is the first lake in the country declared as a Biodiversity Heritage Site in the year 2016.