Police, Forest department join hands to distribute saplings for eco-friendly 'green and clean' city

Kolkata: Police along with Forest department will distribute saplings as a part of the Green and Clean city project, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Friday.

She was addressing a gathering in connection with Van Mahotsav, organised jointly by the state Assembly and West Bengal Flower Growers' Association at its premises on Friday afternoon. She urged people to take a pledge to save green cover so as to save the world. "Save green to save the world," she said.

Banerjee said life will come to a halt if green cover is destroyed and urged people to protect it. The state Forest department will plant 50 lakh saplings throughout the state as a part of the forestation programme. She said: "global warming is threatening the world as we did not show proper respect to the Mother Nature. If a tree is felled, then new tree saplings need to be planted to maintain the ecological balance." Referring to the state government's Sabujshree project, she said under the project a tree sapling is given to a young mother and when her child grows up, the parents can fell the tree and with the money they get, they would be able to support the child to carry on with his or her studies. Drawing a parallel between Mother Nature and Indian society, Banerjee said Mother Nature is a classic example of synthesis.

"There are various types of trees, flowers and they vary in shapes, sizes and colours and this variations have added beauty to the Nature. Similarly, in India society there are different castes, creed and religion but their harmony and synthesis have made the Indian society, the most beautiful society in the world."

Indranil Sen, minister of state for Information and Cultural Affairs sang a song written and composed by Mamata Banerjee.