THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ensuring people’s participation is the most practical way for the protection of environment, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Reiterating his stand that clearing the apprehensions of the people was important while focusing on conservation of the Western Ghats and coastal areas, he added that he shared this opinion with Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Prakash Javadekar, when he met him in New Delhi the other day.
The Chief Minister was inaugurating the Participatory Environmental Action Programme, an initiative of the Department of Forests and Wildlife, for planting one million tree saplings on the World Environment Day, here on Tuesday.
“First, an atmosphere should be created to impose environment protection laws by convincing people.
Students should be given awareness on the importance of environment protection so that it is preserved for future generations,” Oommen Chandy added.
Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who presided over the function, said that the Haritasree movement aimed at planting one lakh saplings across the state would be monitored at panchayat level itself.
The trees will be named after those who plant and conserve the saplings.
The aim is to hand over the environment without any damage to the next generation. We have to increase the number of trees in the state.
A technical committee has been set up to monitor the scheme and a policy will be formed based on their recommendations,’’ he said. Poet and activist Sugathakumari, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction, UNEP, Muralee Thummarukudy, Executive Vice-President of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment V N Rajasekharan Pillai, among others, spoke on the occasion.
The guests were welcomed by presenting them tree saplings. Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) P K Mohanty welcomed the gathering.