MUMBAI: In an endeavor to give back to the earth and save the environment, APM Terminals Inland Services, South Asia undertook a plantation drive to increase the green cover on the Mumbai Goa Highway near its Equipment Maintenance and Repair (EMR) facility in Panvel. As a part of this initiative, more than 500 saplings were planted by the employees, customers, contractors and workers on the World Environment Day.

 

APM Terminals Inland Services, South Asia, with the permission of National Highway Authority of India has proactively taken up the responsibility of nurturing and maintaining this stretch of green on the highway.

 

In order to make this initiative a sustainable one and put bio waste to productive use, a bio compost plant was also set up and inaugurated at the EMR facility in Panvel on the same day. The plant will help in converting decaying leaves and other waste material generated at the facility into bio compost with high organic content. The bio compost not only helps in increasing the yield of soil but also reduces the use of chemical fertilizers. The compost manure produced from the plant will also be used for nurturing the recently planted 500 saplings.

 

The selection of variety of saplings has been done in a very thoughtful and logical manner. The saplings planted include Putanjivi a plant that bears fruit which attracts birds (given its close proximity to Karnala bird sanctuary), Charul  also called as Raj Pushpa of the State of Maharashtra, Ritha- a tree that provides dense shadow and Bheda which is known for its vibrant yellow flowers. 

 

The employees took the initiative a step further by contributing some saplings personally, thereby increasing the stretch of the plantation.

 

Speaking on the occasion Mr. R. K. Sreedhar, MD and CFO, APM Terminals India Pvt. Ltd. said “We are committed to the cause of environment and sustainability and have been partnering with the stakeholders in regions where we are present, to address the same. This initiative is a small step in the right direction to build sustainable models to save the environment, address climate change and growing deforestation which is posing new challenges to the society.” 

 

Around 200 employees of APM Terminals along with the guests participated in this initiative.