Telangana formation day celebrations enter final phase

Hyderabad, June 18:  The decennial celebrations of the Telangana formation day entered its final phase on Sunday.

With four days to go for the three-week celebrations to come to an end, officials were busy making arrangements to ensure the success of the programmes on the remaining days.

The celebrations began on June 2, the state formation day. The government is organising programmes on a daily basis to highlight the progress made by the state in various sectors during the last nine years.

On Sunday, the state celebrated Telangana Drinking Water Festival. As Telangana region suffered a lot due to drinking water scarcity in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, the celebrations highlighted transformation of Telangana into a 100 per cent drinking water supply state through Mission Bhagiratha.

Under Telangana Green Festival ('Haritha utsavam') on Monday, a large-scale plantation programme will be takenA in all villages and towns across the state. This will explain the efforts made to increase greenery in the state by the state Forest Department and the improvement of forest cover in the state.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will launch Haritha utsavam by planting saplings at an urban park in Tummaluru village in Rangareddy district near Hyderabad. The Forest Department has made arrangements to plant 25,000 saplings in 25 acres.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R.M. Dobriyal briefed the district collectors about the Harita utsavam and that plantation programmes should be taken up in all the towns and villages. All the government offices and other institutions should be covered in the programme. In all the constituency level programmes, the achievements of the government in Harithaharam will be showcased.

Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari said that all urban parks will have free entry on the day and the public should be encouraged to visit them. She observed that the public must be sensitised and made aware about the importance of plantation so that the programme is sustained.

To increase green cover, the state government had launched massive plantation programme Harithaharam in 2015. The government said 273 crore saplings have been planted so far under this drive.

June 20 will be celebrated as Telangana Education Day. Meetings will be organised in all educational institutions across the state highlighting the achievements in the field of education.

Telangana Spiritual Day will be held on June 21 with various programmes at temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship.

The celebrations will conclude on June 22 with Telangana Martyrs Commemoration Day. People in villages, towns, cities and schools will pay homage to the martyrs and observe silence. A big rally will be taken out in memory of martyrs at Tank Bund in Hyderabad. The Chief Minister will inaugurate the newly-constructed Martyrs Memorial near Tank Bund.