Karnataka State Board Chairman PM Narendraswamy and others during the board’s golden jubilee celebrations in Hubballi on Tuesday. | Photo credit: KIRAN BAKALE
MLA and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) Chairman PM Narendraswamy said that handing over a clean environment to the next generation is everyone’s responsibility and there should be a collective contribution to reduce pollution and people should use eco-friendly vehicles.
He was speaking after launching the golden jubilee celebrations of KSPCB organized at Nehru Stadium in Hubballi on Tuesday. Regional offices of KSPCB in Dharwad, Gadag and Uttara Kannada districts jointly organized the event.
Mr. Narendraswamy said that over 3.5 lakh packs of milk were entering the soil every day in Gadag, Dharwad and Uttara Kannada. “We need to take steps to prevent this by creating awareness. The country should have forests on 33% of the total land, but we have less than 20%. The National Green Tribunal has also laid emphasis on environmental protection. The challenge is excessive use of chemical pesticides and huge amount of solid waste produced in urban areas and it needs to be tackled through collective efforts,” he said.
He said that to create awareness, quizzes and debates are organized in schools and colleges and prizes are awarded to those who make reels on environmental protection. KSPCB will set up six air quality monitoring centers in Dharwad district, he said.
Mr. Narendraswamy emphasized the need for greater public involvement in environmental initiatives and said the impact would be greater through collective efforts. He also listed the various initiatives taken at the global level through conventions and emphasized that the board is working towards achieving global goals and mandates.
MLA Mahesh Tenginakai presided over the function and urged people to come together in various initiatives to make towns and cities free from garbage and plastic. He said extensive training was needed for industries to reduce the amount of waste produced. People should also contribute to save water bodies, he said.
Karnataka Slum Development Board MLA and Chairman Prasad Abbayya elaborated on the various measures taken by the government to tackle the problem. KSPCB has taken a good initiative to sensitize the children, the future citizens of the country to protect the environment, he said.
A number of political leaders including MLA Arabail Shivaram, former MP IG Sanadi, Mayor Hubballi Dharwad Jyoti Patil, HDUDA Chairman Shakir Sanadi and various officials were present. On occasion, those involved in environmental initiatives were honored.
Published – 05 Nov 2025 0:36 IST
