Tapi, Aug 8 (IANS) Planting trees alone is not enough, and ensuring their survival and growth must be treated as a collective responsibility, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said on Saturday while addressing a large tree plantation programme at Sadadvel village in Songadh taluka of Tapi district.
The programme was organised under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 3.0’ campaign, with around 4,000 villagers from Tapi and neighbouring villages taking part in the plantation drive.
Sanghavi said he had been attending the tree plantation programme organised in Tapi district for the past three years.
Referring to the campaign launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said it sought to promote devotion towards one’s mother and motherland along with environmental conservation.
“Merely planting trees is not enough; properly caring for them and helping them grow is the collective responsibility of all of us,” Sanghavi said.
He said residents of villages surrounding the area voluntarily participate in the annual plantation programme organised by Prakruti Samvardhan Trust in Tapi district and contribute to environmental protection and conservation.
The participation of thousands of villagers, he added, reflected their awareness of and responsibility towards the environment.
Sanghavi planted a sapling at the programme in the presence of the gathering and later interacted with villagers, appreciating the tribal community’s involvement in protecting nature.
State Tribal Development Minister and Tapi district in-charge minister Naresh Patel said the tribal community had lived closely with nature since time immemorial and had a deep affection for trees.
“It is because of this love for trees and their continued support in protecting forests that forests remain protected and preserved even today across the entire tribal belt from Umargam to Ambaji,” Patel said.
Following the DyCM’s plantation, around 4,000 villagers participated in the drive at Sadadvel, conveying a message of tree plantation and environmental conservation from Songadh to people across Gujarat and the country.
The programme was jointly organised by Prakruti Samvardhan Samiti Tapi, Adivasi Ekta and Vikas Sangathan Tapi, and the Tapi district administration.
Senior officials, forest department personnel, officials of other departments, representatives of various organisations, MLAs and a large number of villagers were also present.
–IANS
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