The Hindu : New Delhi News : Children's trek ends with planting of saplings

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Friday, Jun 08, 2007
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New Delhi

Children's trek ends with planting of saplings

Staff Reporter

FOCUS ON FORESTATION: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit with children who took part in the trek through the Ridge on Thursday. Photo: R. V. Moorthy

NEW DELHI: To focus on protection of environment, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit flagged off a 3-km trek at Sardar Patel Marg here on Thursday. It culminated at the Ridge where the participating children planted saplings along with the Chief Minister.

A number of volunteers from Deepalaya, a non-government organisation working for children living in the Capital's slums and rural areas, took part in the trek, whose objective was to tell Delhiites that it was their responsibility to treasure the city's natural resources and promote forestation as the forest cover across the globe is fast depleting.

Later the Chief Minister inaugurated "Welcomenviron Expo" where various organisations working for the cause of environment and allied subjects showcased their projects. She evinced keen interest in some of the energy conservation kits and biodegradable plastic bags and interacted with the participants -- The Energy and Resources Institute, Development Alternatives, World Wide Fund for Nature and Centre for Science and Environment.

Speaking to reporters, Ms. Dikshit said it was because of the environmental measures taken by her Government in coordination with other organisations that there was a broad awareness among the citizens of Delhi about the need for water conservation. "Development in the city is being carried out alongside a number of environmental measures," she added.

Knowledge session

Meanwhile, as part of its corporate responsibility, The Maurya hotel on Sardar Patel Marg organised a knowledge session, "Greening the Supply Chain", on Tuesday to mark World Environment Day. On Thursday, it organised an activity session to espouse the cause of saving the Capital's green lungs -- the Ridge located in the heart of the city.

Pointing out that sustainable development and environmental issues were intertwined, The Maurya General Manager Dipak Haksar said: "On Tuesday, the knowledge session's theme was `Save energy, save water' and it saw the participation of vendors and traders. They were educated about the best environmental practices so that they could incorporate them into their own businesses. Today, `Conserve paper, preserve forests' was the theme as the Ridge is virtually the lungs of Delhi."

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