By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
New Delhi: Delhi’s ambitious environmental transformation gathered fresh momentum as Environment, Forest & Wildlife Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa led a large-scale plantation drive with Delhi Police personnel at the PBG Ground in the Delhi Ridge, reinforcing the Capital’s mission to become greener and pollution-free through mass public participation.
The plantation campaign, attended by Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha, senior officers and police personnel, forms part of the Delhi Government’s target to plant 70 lakh trees and saplings across the city this year. The initiative is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign, while 15 lakh saplings are being planted in the Ridge and other green zones under an eco-restoration programme.
Addressing the gathering, Sirsa said the government is focusing not merely on increasing plantation numbers but on creating a sustainable green legacy. He highlighted that every sapling is being geo-tagged for scientific monitoring and long-term survival as part of a comprehensive 10-year plantation strategy centred on native species that provide greater ecological benefits, including higher oxygen generation, improved shade and lower water consumption.
Calling environmental protection a collective responsibility, Sirsa stressed that the movement has drawn participation from the judiciary, diplomats from over 70 countries, educational institutions, religious organisations and citizens, transforming conservation into a true people’s campaign.
The Minister also underscored the Delhi Government’s parallel drive to eliminate the Capital’s legacy garbage mountains, stating that around 60 per cent of accumulated waste has already been cleared over the past one-and-a-half years, with reclaimed land being converted into green spaces through ecological restoration.
Highlighting the scale of Delhi’s waste-management operations, Sirsa said nearly 50,000 metric tonnes of waste are being handled daily, including fresh municipal waste and legacy waste. He commended the Delhi Police and Traffic Police for ensuring the uninterrupted movement of waste-management vehicles, enabling the city’s extensive remediation programme to progress efficiently.
Expressing gratitude to the police force, Sirsa said environmental protection can succeed only when every citizen and institution joins hands to safeguard both the city and the trees planted for future generations. He described the twin missions of scientific waste remediation and mass plantation as laying the foundation for a cleaner, healthier and pollution-free Delhi.
