CHITTAGONG. June 5: The World Environment Day was pledge to create mass awareness for building a healthy and pollution free environment, reports BSS.

Directorate of Environment

of children and Juvenile organ isationa from the Circuit House

City Mayor Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin led the procession. The Directorate also dis tributed saplings among the people.

A discussion was also held at the City Corporation Conferene nn with \zadt Editor Plot . ham .d iv aled in the chai r

City Mayor vas the chief guest while Deputy Director of the Directorate Dr Abdus Sobhan presented the key note paper. Deputy Commiss‘.ner A H M Abul Kashem. dh onal forest officer Mohammad Shafi and M M Hassan. Director. Forest Research Institute, among others, took part in the discussion.

The participants called for creating mass awareness about the environmental hazards and

turning it into social action which are essential for our survival.

The population control, In the context of Bangladesh, must be the central point of the country's poverty allcva-tton, they observed. The speakers also stressed the need for removal of the poverty alleviation for protecting the environment.

Khulna

The day was also observed ih Khulna today in a befitting manner.

Various programmes were organised by the Environment Department, district administration. Khulna City Corporation. BRTA and Khulna Metropolitan Police. The programmes included postering, procession, rally, seminar, dis eussion. cleanliness campaign and leaflet and sapling distribution.

A procession with colourful festoons and placards was brought out from Khulna Circuit House Maidan which paraded the main city thoroughfares.

It was led by city Mayor Sheikh Tayebur Rahman and

Divisional Commissioner Abdul Muktadir Choudhury.

Khulna City Corporation distributed saplings among the participants of the rally.

Environment Department, BRTA and metropolitan police jointly launched drive on roads for checking black smoke and hydraulic horn of the motor vehicles.

A seminar on "Let us build up an elegant environment by breaking poverty s chain" was held at Khulna City Corporation's Shaheed Altaf auditorium.

Highlighting on the significance of the day. the speakers at the seminar underlined the need for creating social aware ness for protecting the environment.

Bogra

State Minister for Finance Mojibur Rahman Saturday underlined the need for adopting community afforestation project through creating mass "awareness To protect the environment.

He was speaking at a seminar on "Poverty and the Environment: Breaking the vicious circle." arranged in observance of the World Environment Day at Bogra Zlla .Parlshad auditorium.

The seminar was jointly organised by Rajshahi divisional office of Environment Department and ADAB, Bogra.

Director General of Rural Development Academy Bogra. Dr Ashraf Uddin Ahmed presented the key-note paper.

The Minister said, we have to face the challenge effectively with coordinated efforts to make the environment suitable for our posterity.

Development of environment and poverty alleviation is complementary to each other, Rahman said, adding the BNP government was pledge bound to alleviate poverty from the country.-

He mentioned that imple-mentation-of 51 poverty alleviation projects along with other people welfare programmes were now underway and utmost emphasis had been laid on tree plantation.

Terming deforestation the main reason of environment pollution, the State Minister called upon the people to plant trees in a planned way for checking desertification.

The speakers said the rate of deforestation in’ the northern region was alarming. They suggested the use of oven innovated by improved local, technology which would save'-60 per cent Ji re wood.

About one crore saplings were planted in Rajshahi division during the .current fiscal year.

Earlier, a procession led by the State Minister for Finance was brought out in the town.