Hundreds of trees planted as Lucknow roots for greener future

Hundreds participated in a plantation drive at BBAU, setting a Guinness World Record with 2,100 saplings planted under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0'.

Hundreds of people took part in a grand plantation drive held as part of a government initiative here on Wednesday. They also pledged to take part in environmental conservation activities and plant more trees from time to time.

At Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), as many as 2,100 participants planted as many saplings under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ campaign and made a new Guinness World Record, officials said (Deepak Gupta/HT)

At Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), as many as 2,100 participants planted as many saplings under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ campaign and made a new Guinness World Record, officials said. It was done in cooperation with the forest department and BBAU.

In the programme, Avnish Awasthi, who’s the advisor to the chief minister, was present as the chief guest. Earlier, the record was in the name of the Assam government, under which 1,229 people planted as many saplings simultaneously on September 17, 2023. Students of 12 schools participated in the drive, along with teaching and non-teaching staff and students of BBAU. Officers and employees of the forest department also took part in it.

At Lucknow University, a massive tree plantation programme was organised under the leadership of vice-chancellor Prof. Alok Kumar Rai by its department of land and horticulture on its main and second campuses. A total of 300 saplings were planted. Among the trees planted are mango, lemon, guava, bottle palm, kachnar, Ashoka, champa, tulsi and aloe vera.

At Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), several types of plants were planted under the leadership of vice-chancellor Prof. JP Pandey, who himself planted a sindoor plant. Pandey said people must become more aware of environmental conservation as the impact of heatwaves on the climate continued to rise.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University (KMCLU) organised a plantation drive, which was attended by Bakshi Ka Talab MLA Yogesh Shukla. The MLA said, “Planting a tree is not only a service to nature, but also becomes a symbol of respect and gratitude towards our mother.” Vice-chancellor Prof. Ajay Taneja said the purpose of the drive was not only to protect the environment but also to express our feelings and respect towards our mothers by connecting with nature.

Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi also organised a tree plantation programme in which several of its officials and staff members planted sheesham, jackfruit, mango, guava and lemon saplings.

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Park by director Aditi Sharma and deputy director Utkarsh Shukla also planted saplings.