Dhaka: Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), in collaboration with Plant Scholar, has inaugurated a significant initiative to plant 10,000 trees in Kamrangirchar as part of the ‘Tree Scholarship and Green City Development’ programme. A discussion and tree plantation event took place at Barogram Battery Ghat Road and nearby areas of the Buriganga River to mark the commencement of this green endeavour.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the event was chaired by Dhaka Central University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Nurul Islam, while DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam attended as the chief guest. Dhaka-7 constituency lawmaker Hamidur Rahman Hamid participated as a special guest. During his address, DSCC Administrator Md Abdus Salam emphasized that merely planting trees is insufficient for environmental protection. He highlighted the importance of maintaining clean rivers, canals, drains, and roads, and called for a societal movement to safeguard the environment.
Salam urged individuals from various sectors to join this movement to ensure a safe planet for future generations. He also mentioned a national target of planting 250 million trees over the next five years, underscoring the Sundarbans’ role in protecting coastal areas from cyclones and the importance of large-scale tree plantations for maintaining ecological balance.
He encouraged educators, students, political leaders, and activists to plant at least one tree each. Salam further emphasized the importance of cleanliness and the protection of the Buriganga River, announcing plans to dredge the river channel during the next dry season to restore its navigability. He also appealed to citizens to refrain from dumping polythene or waste into drains and rivers.
In addition to environmental efforts, Salam called for a collective stand against drug abuse. He also provided updates on infrastructure development in Kamrangirchar, mentioning the ongoing construction of an eight-lane road to improve vehicle movement from 21 southern districts entering Dhaka via the Padma Bridge. With an allocation of Tk 236.48 crore for the project in the current fiscal year and 48 percent of the work completed, the project is expected to be finished by June 2027.
Speakers at the programme urged everyone to take responsibility for tree plantation, river protection, cleanliness drives, and dengue prevention efforts.