Nashik: Calling for greater public participation in environmental conservation, Kumbh Mela Minister Girish Mahajan urged citizens to transform the Harit Nashik initiative into a people's movement by actively contributing to tree plantation and cleanliness efforts.
Speaking at a plantation drive held at the Fashicha Dongar area on Saturday, Mahajan said rising temperatures, the threat of El Niño, and environmental concerns make large-scale afforestation essential. The event marked the launch of the 'Harit Kumbh – Harit Monsoon' campaign, which will run from June 28 to October 25, 2026, with a target of planting one lakh saplings across Nashik and its surrounding areas ahead of the 2027 Kumbh Mela.
The programme was attended by Mayor Himgauri Aadke-Aher, Deputy Mayor Vilas Shinde, Standing Committee Chairman Machhindra Sanap, District Collector Ayush Prasad, Chief Conservator of Forests Gajendra Hire, and other civic representatives.
Mahajan said the plantation campaign is part of the broader Unnat Nashik Abhiyan, under which a mega cleanliness drive was also conducted at the Kapila River on Saturday morning. He noted that the Nandini River had earlier been cleaned under the same initiative and stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently encouraged public participation in cleanliness campaigns.
He described the Godavari, Nandini, and Kapila rivers as Nashik's heritage and appealed to citizens to preserve their sanctity by avoiding littering and practising waste segregation. He also urged residents to emulate the cleanliness standards achieved by Indore.
Mahajan said the success of the one-lakh plantation campaign would depend not only on planting saplings but also on ensuring their survival through community participation. He added that the state government is implementing several measures to make the upcoming Kumbh Mela clean, green, and environmentally sustainable, including sewage treatment projects to keep the Godavari River clean throughout the year and infrastructure improvements to ease traffic.
Referring to the impact of El Niño, the minister also appealed to citizens to use water judiciously.
Earlier, Dinkar Patil briefed the gathering about the plantation campaign, while Sandeep Jadhav and Shekhar Gaikwad shared their views.
Before the plantation programme, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Development Authority and the Nashik Municipal Corporation organised a mega cleanliness drive along the Kapila River. Minister Mahajan, civic officials, and municipal officers participated in the campaign, followed by a tree plantation programme at Hirawadi.
