Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Van Mahotsav: Thane district greener by 13 lakh saplings
THANE: The beats of the drum roll, the music of the police band and hoards of celebrities from the Marathi film industry flagged off the Van Mahotsav at Uttamrao Patil Biodiversity park near Kalwa creek.
Despite heavy rains, thousands had gathered to increase the green quotient of the city. Over 13 lakh trees were planted across the district on Friday.
The massive tree plantation drive saw participation from police department, municipal corporations, gram panchayats, gram sabhas, municipal councils and the district officials, started from the.
Schools students also released colourful balloons in the air to celebrate the occasion.
An district officer requesting anonymity said, “Since Friday morning, the students of Saraswati and Maharashtra Vidyalay had gathered at the park with a float made from plants. The youth of Thane college, NKT and Dyansadhana college were also demarcating the areas where they wish to plant the trees.”
Mahendra Kalyankar, district collector said, “The aim was to plant 10 lakh trees across the district. However, we have planted three lakh more trees taking the total to 13 lakhs.”
Actor Tanisha Mukherjee, Marathi actors Uday Sabnis, Sampada Kulkarni and Viju Mane were present at the event. The plantation drive went for more than two hours.
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) also made a record by planting 75,000 trees in a day.
Sandeep Malvi, public relations officer of TMC, said, “More than 75,000 trees were planted in a day on 350 hectares on mountain land. Around 7,500 people participated in the drive including 3500 volunteers of non-governmental organisations, 1500 students, residents and corporators.”