Judiciary joins Delhi’s tree plantation drive, giving campaign a green boost

Delhi’s ongoing plantation festival, ‘Van Mahotsav 2025’, got a boost with active participation from members of the judiciary, lending momentum to the city’s greening drive. Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, on Friday planted saplings at the President’s Bodyguard (PBG) Parade Ground, near 11 Murti.

Speaking at an event organised under this year’s Van Mahotsav celebration, organised by the Delhi government, Justice Shrivastva lauded the ‘Ek Ped Maa ka Naam’ campaign that has received support from the government and encouraged people’s participation for increasing the green spaces. “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ is an important initiative for the environment. It is the responsibility of all the citizens of this country to ensure the safety of the environment, and we should try everything we can,” he added.

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Justice Upadhyaya congratulated the residents of Delhi and also called out the citizens for making this mission a huge success.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa welcomed the legal luminaries at the Parade Ground on Friday morning for a tree-planting drive as part of the ongoing Van Mahotsav. Applauding the community’s support for Delhi’s afforestation efforts, Gupta said, “It’s heartening to see so many esteemed individuals come together for Van Mahotsav in support of Delhi’s environment. I hope even young children take part by planting a tree and help carry forward the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Embracing India’s tradition of celebrating tree plantation in early monsoon months, Gupta kickstarted this year’s Van Mahotsav celebrations by planting a sapling in the city’s ridge area on July 3.

The history of Van Mahotsav, a pan-India tree-planting festival celebrated in July every year, dates back to 1947. Back then, MS Randhawa, a Punjabi botanist, organised a tree plantation week from 20 to 27 July, which was inaugurated by Khurshid Ahmad Khan, then Delhi Police Commissioner. The main objective of this initiative was to highlight the impact of deforestation in the country, which was nationally recognised in 1950 by Dr K M Munshi, who was the Union Minister for Agriculture and Food during that period.