Governor calls for public participation in green drive

metro india news  I hyderabad : Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Tuesday called for greater public participation in environmental protection and urged people to take up the responsibility of nurturing saplings after planting them. The Governor was speaking after launching a cashew plantation programme along the NH-765DG between Ramayampet and Siddipet as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. He also planted a cashew sapling on the occasion.

The plantation initiative, spread across nearly 43 km, envisages planting around 30,000–35,000 cashew saplings along the highway. Shiv Pratap Shukla said increasing green cover was essential to maintaining ecological balance and ensuring a healthier environment for future generations. He also stressed the need to promote horticultural crops that could provide farmers with additional and sustainable sources of income.

The selection of cashew saplings, he said, offered the dual benefit of environmental protection and the potential for long-term economic returns to farmers. “Planting a sapling does not mark the end of our responsibility. Every sapling must be treated like a member of the family and nurtured with care,” the Governor said.

He called for regular watering, protection and monitoring of the saplings to ensure their survival and growth. Environmental protection and farmers’ welfare, he said, should be pursued together through such initiatives. The Governor also emphasised the importance of linking environmental protection with public health. He called for greater awareness among people about diseases such as cancer and diabetes and stressed the importance of timely medical screening and early detection.

Raghunandan Rao said that the Ramayampet–Siddipet stretch had once had trees on both sides of the road, providing shade to travellers. The expansion of the national highway had led to the removal of several trees and a consequent reduction in green cover, he said. The plantation initiative had therefore been taken up to restore greenery along the highway, the BJP MP said.