MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday launched 'Green Yodha' initiative in state to combat climate change.
A 2,500 sq metre patch of brown soil inside a garden at Veera Desai Road in Andheri became the pilot site of a new plan to combat climate change on Saturday.
The state government's 'Green Yodha' project is the first initiative under the Mumbai Climate Action Plan that was launched by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in March. It encourages the man in the street to create verdant spaces by sowing saplings, adopting trees, sponsoring plantation drives -- even donating land for afforestation.
The project aims to address specific outcomes of climate change like heat mitigation, flood risk and loss of green cover.
State environment minister Aaditya Thackeray planted the first sapling, and gamely invited the assembly of participants, including mediapersons, to throw a fistful of soil as a symbolic contribution.
He said, "There is no doubt anymore that climate change and environmental degradation is a clear and present danger. It is incumbent on all of us to do our bit as government officials, corporate houses, NGOs and citizens to stem this threat." He gave suggestions for each segment.
Thackeray praised Prithviraj Chavan, assistant municipal commissioner of K West ward, for having worked a miracle during his earlier tenure in M West ward by planting 65,000 saplings in pollution ridden Chembur and Mahul. Chavan's move has resulted in a lush forest in the eastern suburbs. Now he plans to replicate the effort in K West and has allocated 2,500 sq m of this garden plot in Andheri to plant 5,000 trees.
Jeetendra Pardeshi, superintendent of the BMC's Garden department, invited individual citizens to sponsor tree plantation activity in their neighbourhoods. "Every Mumbaikar can contribute a drop to make an ocean. People can approach me in the central garden department or contact the local assistant superintendent of garden in their ward," he said.
Politicians, senior representatives of corporate houses, NGOs, local activists and residents converged to support the cause. In fact an army of Green Yodhas seemed ready for battle already. A large number of young volunteers wearing T-shirts of various social groups actively cheered the plan.
Nidhi Chaturvedi, founder, JVA (Juhu Versova Andheri) Citizens Group, said, "Now citizens are already aware that climate change is for real. The only way we can contribute to reversing or stalling it is to plant more trees and develop more green spaces."
Dignitaries received a gift of live saplings to nurture their commitment.
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