TIRUPATI: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, accompanied by his family members, offered prayers at the Lord Venkateswara Swami Temple here on Thursday morning. Gadkari, along with his family, also took part in the ‘Thomala Seva’ at the temple.
‘Thomala’ means a garland of flowers. This is the seva wherein Lord Venkateswara is adorned with all types of flowers.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday kick-started the nationwide campaign to plant trees along national highways after planting a sapling at Kothapalem in Renigunta Mandal.
He called upon people to come forward and participate in the programme to have a sustainable and long-lasting impact of the tree plantation drive. He envisaged a plantation of 1,000 trees on the Renigunta–Naidupeta stretch of NH-71 alone.
“This initiative aligns with the Green India Mission (GIM), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, aiming to convert our national highways into environmentally sustainable green highways”, the minister said.
He further added that the government’s commitment to this cause is unwavering “as we diligently strive to compensate for every tree felled during road projects by planting twice the number of trees. Furthermore, we have achieved success in relocating fully grown and large trees”, he added.
Gadkari also said that this initiative serves as a concrete response to the challenges posed by climate change, as it simultaneously reduces carbon emissions and fosters the development of environmentally friendly infrastructure.
“Plantation and transplantation of trees has become an integral part of national highway development. A lot of emphasis is also given to geotagging of trees so that the progress and growth of these plants can be monitored”, Nitin Gadkari said. (ANI)