Kolkata celebrates World Environment Day, Victoria Memorial turns green

The magnificent Victoria Memorial here was bathed in green light Thursday to mark World Environment Day as denizens of Kolkata pledged to do their bit - curbing wastage of water, planting more trees and reducing waste - to protect the environment.

The historic edifice hosted quiz contests and slogan writing competitions on the theme of 2014 World Environment Day - 'Raise Your Voice Not the Sea Level' and as the sun set, special green lights were switched on to light up the white marble monument in a greenish hue.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on an official tour of north Bengal posted pictures on her Facebook page, celebrating the bounties of nature.

"To save our very existence, we need to save earth, trees, water, sea, river, all water bodies and keep the air clean to prevent global warming. This is necessary for a sustainable environment. Let us all strive towards this goal for our better tomorrow," she said.

During the day, people participated in large numbers in rallies, quiz contests and other activities, while students indulged in activities like measuring sound pollution and sapling distribution at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum.

A special training manual on home hygiene was launched in Hindi and Bengali for public health workers byAInternational Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH), UK , in association with the Institution of Public Health Engineers (IPHE), India.

Environment guides were distributed to the masses as part of the 'Be Selfish' campaign by the Siddha Group to encourage residents to spare a thought for their surroundings.

A green platform, the Sabuj Mancha, protested against illegal construction activities that were swallowing up the East Kolkata Wetlands, a Ramsar site.