S Rama Krishna
TRS Rajya Sabha member J Santosh Kumar and 30 MPs from six political parties in Parliament on February 9, Wednesday, greened up Delhi. They came together as part of Santosh’s initiative Green India Challenge (GIC) and planted saplings in Narain Industrial Area in Karol Bagh in North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
This is a unique moment in the national politics which are bitterly divided on the eve of elections to five state assemblies in the next six weeks. MPs from both the Houses of Parliament have joined this greening programme. They MPs are from Congress, TRS, YSR Congress, AAP, Shiv Sena and CPI. However, BJP MPs were not there.
Santosh, one of youngest RS MPs, launched this GIC four years ago, inspired by TRS supremo and CM KCR’s green call – Harita Haram for Telangana. Speaking on the occasion, Santosh, who is fondly called Santhu by his admirers, said the national capital of Delhi was worst hit by growing pollution problem every year. All the MPs appreciated Santosh for launching GIC.
“The only way to cut this pollution is to grow more trees,” Santosh said to a gathering of MPs and others who assembled on the occasion. Many organisations like Delhi Municipal Corporation, Ramky Organisation, CSR wing of Ramky Group, NMDC and Singareni Collieries Company Limited have lent their backing to this Parliamentarians’ sapling plantation in Delhi.
Interestingly, former union environment minister and Congress MP Jairam Ramesh participated in the event lending credibility to GIC. Other MPs are: Sanjay Singh (AAP), Binoy Viswam (CPI), Anil Desai (Shiv Sena), Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, Magunta Srinivas Reddy, Vanga Geetha, Gorantla Madhav, Sri Krishna Devarayalu and YS Avinash Reddy (all YSR Congress).
K Keshav Rao, M Kavitha, Venkatesh Nethakani, B Lingaiah Yadav, KR Suresh Reddy, Pasunur Dayakar and P Ramulu (all TRS), among others from different parties. Ramky group chairman and YSR Congress MP Ayodhya Rami Reddy came forward to adopt a park in the national capital as part of his CSR initiative.
Why GIC is growing popularity?
Santosh has been spreading the message of planting more saplings as part of GIC initiative as a people‘s mission for the last four years. This is a reason, why personalities from different walks of life are coming forward to join this drive. Film starts, sports personalities and other celebrities have taken part in GIC since recently. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu too participated in GIC.
This programme of GIC comes at a time when the whole world including India is trying hard to contain the ill-effects of air pollution. In Delhi, the problem has become unmanageable and schools have to be shut due to pollution problem. Santosh says GIC’s target of planting one lakh sapling in Delhi soon would lessen the pollution in the metropolitan city.
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