CM urges citizens to preserve green space on World Environment Day

Kolkata: Observing World Environment Day on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, besides composing a poem, urged the people of the state to preserve green cover for curbing pollution in the city.

Banerjee took to her X handle and wrote a poem in Bengali that delivered the message that greenery is our saviour and a green world is a beautiful world. The Forest department organised its state level programme at Alipore Zoological Garden with special emphasis on animal adoption that began at the zoo a decade back. A private organisation adopted 10 animals in the zoo for one year. This included hippopotamus, giraffe, tiger, zebra, jaguar, Himalayan Black Bear, gharial, among others.

“BBRI foundation expressed its desire to adopt these 10 animals for five years. But, as per adoption rules, animals can be adopted either for a month or for a year. Hence, they chose the one-year option,” said Subhankar Sengupta, director of Alipore Zoo.

Certificates associated with adoption were handed over to individuals and agencies at the programme that was presided over by state Forest minister Birbaha Hansda. Scottish Church College recently adopted a chimpanzee for one year and the 1985-87 batch of Calcutta University Zoology department adopted a zebra.

Hansda said: “Let us take the pledge on the occasion of World Environment Day that we protect greenery which will save our environment.” The programme was marked by plantation of trees and distribution of saplings, and a quiz competition for college students in which 10 institutions took part.