Garkote residents hold plantation drive

Uri, Feb 19: Inhabitants of Bilalabad, Garkote in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Sunday held a plantation drive at Zulfiqar Ali ViewPoint here.
In a statement here, the plantation drive was held under the supervision of senior journalist and Editor Shaharbeen program, All India Radio (AIR) Srinagar, Maqsood Ahmad who was also the chief guest on the occasion.
Well known social activist of Garkote village, Bashir Ahmad Bhat also took part in this drive.
According to locals, various fruit plants were planted near the Zulfiqar view point, Garkote.
Maqsood stressed on the locals of the village to plant more and more trees and plants so as to save the environment.
“2023 plantation drive has started in sub-division Uri. We have taken an initiative and we request others to come forward and plant the trees too. We need to understand that we are incomplete without the green cover around us,” he said adding, “This drive will continue in future as well.”
However, this step taken has been hailed by the locals of the area.
“We demand that the forest department should also come forward and distribute trees among the locals, so that more such plantations can take place in future in Uri areas,” locals said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Zulfiqar Ali Khawaja was a prominent social worker of border town Uri who died in a road accident near the view point in Garkote village on 25th June 2020. The view point has been dedicated to him after his death.