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<p>On an otherwise scorching Sunday morning, more than 70 volunteers, mostly students and local youth, gathered at Subhash Colony Park to launch an ambitious tree plantation drive, aiming to plant over 2,000 saplings in and around the semi-urban neighborhood this month.</p>
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<p>The drive, organized by the Green Roots Foundation, is part of their ‘Clean and Green Subhash’ mission, which focuses on increasing the city’s green cover and reducing local pollution levels.</p>
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<p>“Subhash Colony has seen rapid construction over the past five years, but hardly any green spaces have been preserved. This drive is our small effort to balance that out,” said Ananya Joshi, a 20-year-old student and one of the lead coordinators.</p>
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<p>The event saw active participation from local families, municipal workers, and even senior citizens who came forward to help dig pits and water the young saplings. Species planted included neem, peepal, gulmohar, and indigenous fruit trees.</p>
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<p>A recent environmental survey by the City Pollution Control Board found that semi-urban areas like Subhash Colony have an average tree cover of just 7%, far below the national urban average of 21%.</p>
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<p>“The heat is becoming unbearable in summer, and pollution from traffic and small factories adds to the problem,” said Mrs. Savitri Devi, a 58-year-old resident. “We must protect whatever green we can.”</p>
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<p>Local businesses have pledged to sponsor the upkeep of the trees for the next two years, ensuring that the saplings survive and grow into a canopy for future generations.</p>
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