World Environment Day was observed across Mysuru on Friday with a series of tree plantation drives, environmental awareness programmes, and initiatives aimed at protecting and expanding the city’s green cover.
Tree Plantation at Karanji Lake
A tree plantation programme was organised at Karanji Lake by the BJP’s Mysuru City unit. Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who was in the city, inaugurated the drive by planting a sapling.
The event underscored the importance of environmental conservation as a shared responsibility that requires active public participation. A total of 100 saplings were planted to mark the occasion.
Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, MLA T.S. Srivatsa, and other party leaders participated in the programme. Slogans such as “One tree, one life” and “A green environment is our future” highlighted the message of ecological preservation. Similar plantation drives were conducted at several locations across the city.
‘Parisarakkagi Naavu’ Campaign Highlights Urban Tree Protection
In a unique initiative, environmental organisation Parisarakkagi Naavu, in association with RLHP and Youth for Sustainability, conducted a campaign focusing on the protection of urban trees.
Hundreds of activists, students, and citizens gathered in front of SJCE College and symbolically removed concrete and interlocking tiles around 24 roadside trees. The initiative aimed to draw the attention of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the Forest Department towards urban tree conservation.
The organisation stated that concrete and paving blocks around tree bases restrict water and nutrient absorption, weakening trees and increasing the risk of uprooting during heavy rains. It urged authorities to implement National Green Tribunal guidelines mandating at least one metre of open space around trees.
MCC Plans 15,000 Saplings Across City
In another programme, Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda inaugurated a World Environment Day event jointly organised by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the Forest Department at Health Layout Park in Ramakrishnanagar.
The MCC has proposed planting 15,000 saplings across the city to enhance green cover. Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, MCC Commissioner Sheikh Tanveer Asif, and other officials were present.
Addressing the gathering, the MLA urged citizens to actively participate in environmental protection, stating that even one sapling can contribute to cleaner air and a healthier future. He welcomed the MCC’s large-scale plantation initiative and called for collective efforts to ensure its success.
He also stressed the need to identify and remove hazardous trees that may pose safety risks to the public while promoting large-scale afforestation efforts.
