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Thousands of students from 10 colleges participated in a record-breaking initiative of planting 5,000 saplings in just one hour and distributing 2,000 fruit saplings on a single day across the main roads of Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC). This initiative under Swarna Andhra – Swachh Andhra (SASA) programme was aimed at enhancing greenery and nutrition in the city. On the occasion, District In-charge Minister and State Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy called upon everyone to be a partner in protecting the environment. Students stood as the main attraction of the programme by simultaneously planting huge number of saplings under the slogan ‘One Student – One Plant’. Prakasam District Collector P. Raja Babu explained the importance of the trees for ecological balance and pollution prevention. He praised the role of students in building ‘Green Ongole’ for future generations. He called upon everyone to take responsibility for protecting every sapling that planted during the mega plantation drive. The saplings were planted along eight major roads including Mangamur Road, Guntur Road, and Kothapatnam Road. MLA Damacharla Janardhana Rao, MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Ongole Urban Development Authority (OUDA) Chairman Sheik Riyaz, Maritime Board Chairman Damacharla Satya, City Mayor Gangada Sujatha and others participated in the programme.
