City walks for green cause, vows to plant trees

NEW DELHI: It was 6am and the sun was at its zenith. Scores of people from all walks of life had gathered at India Gate on Sunday to participate in the walkathon organized by the ministry of environment on World Environment Day. Participants from as far afield as China had come to attend the walk. Both the young and old evinced great interest in one of the burning issues of the day.

This is the first time that India is the global host of the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP). The walk aimed at sensitizing people to environmental issues.

About 500 people participated in the event, including students from different schools all over India. Government officials, people from different NGOs and representatives from colleges and universities could be seen. Minister of state for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh flagged off the event. After that the crowd vowed to plant and nurture trees. The participants walked from India Gate to Vijay Chowk and then back to India Gate. The participants carried banners with different slogans to drive home their message.

The crowd shouted slogans and was joined by state minister of women and child welfare Kiran Walia. Schools have been doing their bit to make students sensitive towards the environment by running eco clubs.

"We gift a sapling to every student on their birthday as it binds the child to it for the rest of his life and makes him respect the plant," said a teacher from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Hyderabad. The walkathon concluded at 8am with Walia thanking the people for participating in the drive.