Hyderabad: On World Environment Day, a large gathering of citizens, including women activists, joined a procession and public meeting at Sundariah Park, organized by the Indian Society for Peace and Cultural Affairs (ISCUF) and All India Tanzeem Insaf. The event highlighted urgent environmental concerns and called for collective action.
Former MP and CPI Secretary Syed Azeez Pasha, also President of All India Tanzeem Insaf, addressed the crowd, noting India’s alarming deforestation rate, ranking second globally after Brazil. He cited the loss of 5.8 million trees between 2019 and 2022, with an 11% reduction in fully grown trees. Telangana, he added, lost 11,422 hectares of forest land from 2014 to 2024, the highest in South India.
He credited the Supreme Court’s intervention for saving Kancha Gachi Bowli and urged the Indian government to strictly implement the Kyoto Protocol (1997), Paris Agreement (2015), and COP 29 (Baku) to curb greenhouse gas emissions. He also encouraged GHMC and municipalities to adopt Bangalore Municipal Corporation’s rule of planting two trees before house construction approvals.
ISCUF President R. Gopal warned of global warming’s dangers, including heatwaves, floods, and hurricanes, advocating for massive tree plantation during the rainy season and a ban on single-use plastics. Senior Advocate and ISCUF Working President K. Prabhaker Rao stressed a multi-pronged approach to address melting glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland. Mr. Munir Patel of Tanzeem Insaf emphasized public awareness and community involvement. Advocate A. Vijaya Laxmi concluded with a vote of thanks.
