Smriti Van in memory of Covid-19 victims

Prayagraj: Keeping their memory alive, the district administration and forest department have decided to plant 550 saplings in remembrance of those who died during the ferocious second wave of Covid-19.
According to divisional forest officer (DFO) Ramesh Chandra, “The department will develop Smriti Van ot the open land of the Hindu Hostel, where 550 saplings will be planted from July 4. It will be in remembrance of those who fell prey to the deadly virus.” It has also been decided that in due course of time, informative placard would be installed at each of the sapling mentioning the name of the person in whose name the sapling has been planted, he added.
The official said over 1,000 people lost their lives in the second wave in the district. He said a similar event would be conducted at village level too, where the panchayat members would plant saplings in remembrance of the folks who had died bdue to Covid.
To be carried out as part of Van Mahotsav program in the district, the forest department would plant saplings of peepal, banyan, neem, pakaad, sheesham, among others.
“The city has lost several eminent personalities also and the attempt to plant a sapling in remembrance of all those people is a small initiative as these saplings would grow as healthy trees and thereby provide the vital oxygen to the people,” Chandra said.
On the same lines, Kendriya Vidyalaya IIIT Jhalwa too has decided to plant around 50 saplings on July 5 and many of these saplings would be in remembrance of the teachers and staff members of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (Varanasi region), who died during the second wave. Around 10 staff members, including teaching and non-teaching staff of the Varanasi region, succumbed to Covid in April and May.
“Our school has also faced the brunt of the pandemic as we lost our dedicated UDC CM Kandpal and we have decided to plant sapling in his remembrance, and also his wife, along with other staff members of Varanasi region,” says principal, KV-IIIT Jhalwa, Vijeyesh Pandey. In a similar exercise, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) also planted around 800 saplings on Friday to start the Van Mahotsav in their premises at Phaphamau.