NGT Chief Takes Part in Tree-Planting Programme at Indian Botanic Garden
Bharatmorning.com – National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava visited the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah on Saturday, joining a plantation initiative focused on environmental awareness and biodiversity protection.
The event was held in the garden’s Endemic and Threatened Plant Section and formed part of the “Swachhata Hi Seva 2026” initiative. Justice Shrivastava participated in the tree-planting exercise under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign, which invites people to plant a tree in honour of their mothers while contributing to wider conservation efforts.
Senior officials of the National Green Tribunal accompanied the chairperson during the programme. Those present included NGT Registrar Deepto Ghosh, Deputy Registrar Tanushree Dutta and Assistant Registrar Yash Kumar Singh.
A garden of major ecological value
The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden is among the country’s best-known botanical spaces and occupies about 273 acres on the banks of the Hooghly River. Its collections include more than 12,000 living plants, making it an important site for the preservation, study and public appreciation of plant diversity.
Visitors to the garden encounter a wide range of botanical specimens, from rare orchids and palms to giant Amazon water lilies. The site also shelters endemic plants and species facing threats in their natural habitats. Such collections can help draw attention to the importance of protecting native vegetation and maintaining living records of plant life for future generations.
One of the garden’s most recognisable landmarks is the Great Banyan Tree. Its broad canopy extends across nearly five acres, creating a landscape that resembles a small forest. The tree remains a major attraction and illustrates the scale and ecological character that have made the garden a notable green space in the Kolkata region.
Focus on threatened and native species
Holding the plantation activity in the section devoted to endemic and threatened plants gave the programme particular significance. Native species are closely connected to local ecosystems, while threatened plants require deliberate conservation attention to reduce the risk of their disappearance.
Tree planting is often viewed as a simple public action, but its value also lies in the message it conveys. Conservation depends not only on protected areas and official measures, but also on sustained interest in restoring green cover, safeguarding habitats and recognising the role of plant life in healthy ecosystems.
The event at the botanic garden highlighted these wider concerns by linking a public plantation drive with a location already dedicated to botanical conservation. It also brought attention to ecological restoration and sustainable development, both of which require long-term protection of natural resources.
The “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign uses a personal gesture of remembrance and respect to encourage participation in afforestation. By associating a planted tree with a tribute to one’s mother, the campaign seeks to make environmental responsibility more meaningful at the community level.
Role of the National Green Tribunal
The National Green Tribunal is a judicial body that handles matters involving environmental protection, forest conservation, natural resources and legal rights connected with the environment. Its work places it at the centre of disputes and issues where development, public interest and ecological safeguards must be considered together.
Justice Shrivastava’s visit underscored the connection between environmental governance and on-the-ground conservation. Botanical gardens play a distinctive role in that broader effort because they preserve diverse plant collections while providing opportunities for education, research and public engagement with nature.
For residents and visitors, the Indian Botanic Garden offers more than a recreational setting. Its trees, water plants, orchids, palms and rare specimens represent a living reminder of the country’s botanical heritage. The presence of endemic and threatened species makes the conservation work associated with the garden especially relevant at a time when biodiversity protection remains a shared public responsibility.
The plantation programme concluded with a call for collective action to protect biodiversity and preserve plant heritage for coming generations. The message was clear: environmental care is strengthened when institutions and communities recognise that conserving trees and rare plant species is essential to sustaining the natural world around them.
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