'Save Green Stay Clean': Mamata to take part in walk on Aug 1 to raise environmental awareness

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take part in a walk on August 1 to create awareness on environment.

The walk titled "Save Green Stay Clean" will start from Birla Planetarium and will conclude at Nazrul Mancha. People from all walks of life, representatives of different NGOs, school and college students will take part in it.

The event will start at 3 pm and will pass through Harish Mukherjee Road, Hazra Road, SP Mukherjee Road, Southern Avenue before reaching the venue.

Banerjee has over an again expressed her concern over the conservation of the environment.

While announcing allotment of land to set up apartment blocks for journalists at the inaugural session of the Kolkata Press Club recently, Banerjee urged to keep open spaces intact and plant trees with a view to increase the green cover.

Global warming and scarcity of drinking water have posed serious threats and to counter the menace the state government has taken a slew of measures to protect the environment. All the municipalities and civic bodies have been asked to go for massive afforestation. Saplings have been distributed among people free of cost to encourage them to grow them.

The state government will take stringent measures if attempts are made to fill up water bodies. The civic bodies have been asked to step up vigil.

Banerjee launched another programme titled "Save Water Save Life" to conserve water and July 12 every year will be observed as the "Save Water Day". She also took part in a rally from Jorasanko Thakurbari to the Gandhi Statue on Mayo Road on July 12.

All the Gram Panchayats and Zilla Parishads have been asked to do rainwater harvesting and not to lift groundwater rampantly as the groundwater level in many areas has dropped drastically.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has also proposed to make rainwater harvesting mandatory in large housing complexes. It has also proposed to set up a special zone where vehicles will be cleaned with unfiltered water.

Senior state government officials believe just as the "Safe Drive Save Life" has reduced the number of road accidents, the two above mentioned programmes will have a positive impact and spread awareness among the people.