After taking part in a massive tree plantation drive organised jointly by Essar Foundation, a CSR arm of Essar Group, in association with The Hindu to mark World Environment Day, he said: “There is a need to maintain ecological balance by taking steps to conserve natural resources. Planting a sapling and spending an hour at least once a week to nurture it should be a part of your routine. Since environment plays a significant role in maintaining one’s health, measures should be taken to conserve resources and improve greenery.”

Appreciating a decade-long endeavour of The Hindu and Essar Foundation, Mr. Naidu highlighted how a healthy ecosystem is linked to supportive components like plants and animals. He urged the younger generation to make a difference by planting saplings and taking care of them for the rest of their life.

Collaborative effort

A total of 1,500 saplings have been planted at Essar Steel pelletisation plant and over a dozen at Visakhapatnam Public Library campus where the meeting was held involving students of Sarada Vidyalayam, Bhashyam Public School, Chaitanya Junior College and NCC Cadets of 13 Andhra Battalion.

Calling for collaborative efforts to tackle environmental concerns, founder-president of Paryavarna Margadarsi Vaisakhi S. Vijaya Kumar said every individual should strive hard to make the planet a better place to live in and work towards transforming the city into a model destination in the next four years.

Head (HR and Administration) Essar Steel D.S. Varma and Chief Operating Officer K. Bhaktavatsalam shared how they have been contributing to the major portion of the green cover by taking up plantation drive consistently at their unit, residential areas and several parts of the city for over a decade.

The programme was attended by Praja Spandana president C.S. Rao, environmentalist B.S. Sastry and secretary of Gandhi Centre K.S. Sastry.

A total of 1,500 saplings were

planted at Essar Steel pelletisation plant on the occasion