Amapti, 10 June: The weeklong World Environment Week celebration concluded on a high note here at Ampati in South West Garo Hills with an elaborate function organized by the South West Garo Hills Basin Development Unit wherein students, villagers and participants reaffirmed to plant more trees and desist from reckless destruction of forest cover. The weeklong observance was marked by various competitions for school students including painting, essay writing, extempore speech and debate.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Zenith Sangma accompanied by Parliamentary Secretary i/c Home, W D Sangma gave away certificates and medals to the winners of the competitions on the concluding day at Ampati Multi Facility Centre. During the daylong gathering the dignitaries gave away Green Awards to the three villages for best maintenance of tree saplings planted earlier last year.
Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest Zenith Sangma urged all the participants to become green ambassadors and disseminate the importance of trees and its role in providing us security, livelihood and livable environment. The minister stated that the mere observance of world environment day/week was not enough and that it should facilitate drastic changes in terms of afforestation and conservation. Speaking on the need of planting more trees per person to mitigate global warming and scarcity of water, Sangma stated that one should be true in one’s intentions and sincerely pursue it until the objective is attained.
Stressing on the need to maintain ecological balance, Sangma also spoke on cruelty to animals and other living creatures and informed that in the near future a law would be passed that would make it a punishable offence.
Parliamentary Secretary i/c Home, Winnerson D Sangma who arrived as the Guest of Honor also spoke on the occasion and urged the gathering to plant more trees to create more shades along thoroughfares. He also advised the gathering to opt for fruit bearing species for double benefit while planting saplings.
Among others who spoke on the occasion were South West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh, EAC and Basin Development Unit Nodal Officer W R G Momin and District Horticulture Officer B R Marak.
The function ended with a seminar wherein resource persons from the Soil and Water Conservation, Horticulture, Agriculture, Social Forestry departments and the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Promotion programe (IBDLP) spoke on various issues concerning the environment.
Similar awareness programmed on environmental issues and concerns such as air pollution, climate change, wildlife crimes the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills, Shillong and Basin Development Unit, East Khasi Hills District organized the Environment Week on the theme “Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife Trade” which concluded today at a function held at Moreau Institute of Integral Training, Shillong.
Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh, Urban Affairs Minister graced the occasion as the Chief Guest in the presence of Deputy Commissioner and Chairman BDU, East Khasi Hills, Shri P. S. Dkhar, OSD, Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship, Shri B.K. Sohliya, head of institutional institutions and students.
The programme aims at encouraging people especially the young students to protect our environment in our own little ways,various activities namely slogan writing, painting, extempore speech, essay competition, awareness march, tree plantation etc. were conducted for school and college students.
