Fitness freaks join hands for a green city

Thane: A tree plantation drive was conducted by a group of kids near Platinum Laws, behind HyperCity in Ovla on Monday. The kids belong to a fitness group in the city. They, along with other senior members of the group, decided to take up the initiative to give the city more green cover.
The group of 100 first ensured to remove all plastic bags and water bottles that were strewn around on the ground.Once the soil was cleared of plastic, the group began planting trees. They have also pledged to maintain the trees and check on their growth once a week.
In the first phase, the group planted 100 trees in the area. ‘‘We are convinced that green cover is the only solution to protect the environment from rapid urbanization,’’ said seven-year-old Mahiya Rammohan.
The group recently had organized a hill run in Yeoor to promote the cause. Over 1,000 fitness freaks from different age groups took part in the event. This was followed by the tree plantation drive on Monday.
‘‘Over 100 people from all age groups took part in the drive. Children were the flag bearers of the event. We want to reduce the use of plastic to conserve soil. The imitative is gaining momentum as more people are joining the group,’’ said Sudarshan Singh, an organizer.