Subrat Kumar Sarangi
Bhubaneswar (NVI): Union Home Minister, Amit Shah yesterday laid the foundation stone of ‘Utkal Upvan’, an eco-park being developed by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) as a tourist attraction in Jharsuguda district of Odisha.
The foundation stone of the park was laid remotely through video conferencing from New Delhi by the Home Minister in the presence of Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi and Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain, MCL said in a statement.
MCL, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, has taken an initiative to develop ‘Utkal Upvan’ with a vision to transform an excavated coal mine into eco-park.
Besides, ‘Utkal Upvan’, MCL celebrated Vanmohotsav-2020, by holding a special plantation drive at all its Project areas and offices spread over in Angul, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundergarh districts.
MCL chief managing director, BN Shukla also participated over video conferencing in the launch of ‘Vriksharopan Abhiyan’, a plantation drive by Shah and foundation stone laying ceremony along with senior officers.
In addition to this, the CMD and directors planted saplings of fruit bearing trees at townships Jagruti Vihar and Anand Vihar in Sambalpur.
MCL has targeted plantation of 1.22 lakh trees in the financial year 2020-21. However, the company has planted progressively around six million trees in Odisha over the years, the statement said.
-RJV
