Awareness marches, rallies mark World Environment Day

Submitted on Jun 07 2007(ANI)                             By Girish Kumar Dubey

Awareness marches and rallies marked the World Environment Day in India on Tuesday.

In Varanasi, the Panini Kanya Vidyalaya organised a special fire ritual to promote environmental conservation.

"It was an effort to cleanse the environment. When the substance is put in the fire, it becomes microscopic and destroys the disease-causing germs," said Medha Tripathi, the headmistress.

In Agra, a car rally was organised by the Societies for Help and Care, Road Injuries, to create awareness about the environment, its protection and conservation.

Even as rallyists drove through the streets of Agra urging locals to save environment, government employed labourers felled trees on the national highway to make place for a four-lane highway.

Children also participated in a painting competition organised in the city to sensitize them.

"The global warming and climate change is the subject for the 2007 environment day. We are celebrating it only to create awareness among the students, teachers and guardians and to train them to protect the environment," saidiswendu Bhattacharjee, an environmental activist, who participated in awareness march in Agartala.

In Agartala, an awareness rally was flagged off from the Tripura Legislative Assembly by its member Pabitra Kar at 6 a.m. to mark the day.

Messages highlighting the threat of global warming, human-induced climate change, the thinning of the ozone layer and the impact of chemical pollution and deforestation featured on placards.

Academicians, doctors, politicians, students, non-government organisation (NGO) and paramilitary forces like Assam Rifles, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Border Security Force (BSF) participated in the rally.

The Association for Research on People and Nature (ARPAN), an NGO, organised the rally.

Several programmes have been organised across the State to create awareness about environmental disasters and how to control them.

Meanwhile, the Tripura Pollution Control Board organised an art competition for young children with the theme of global warming.

World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5. It is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates awareness world-wide about the environment.