Media Release

Mangaluru, Jun 6: Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) celebrated World Environment Day on June 5 in a befitting manner with the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. M Venkatesh, managing director, Rajeev Kushwah, CVO, M Vinaya Kumar, GGM(I/c Refinery, TS & MO), Rajshekhar Puranik, environment officer, KSPCB, senior MRPL officials and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Dr Chandrashekhar Chowta, chairman, Arboretum sub-committee, Pilikula Nisarga Dhama was the chief guest of the programme. He spoke on the occasion and said, “Today, we have become more dependent on plastics and using it in all activities of life. We have only one earth which has all the bio diversities to accommodate the living beings and we need to save it.”

Madhav Ullal, environmentalist and Rajyotsava awardee said that all countries need to come together in saving the environment. He encouraged using cloth bags instead of the plastic carry bags.

The attraction of the day was Hani H R, a 9-year-old girl, who had embarked on service to nature at such a fledgling age and has formed a team of activists of environment called ‘Green Warriors’. She was felicitated on the occasion.

M Venkatesh, managing director, MRPL spoke on the occasion and said that plastic too has come from the nature but its misuse has created the problem. Research is required to convert the municipal waste with plastic into productive fuels, he said. Some such technologies are already under development he explained. Without the use of fuels and plastics we wouldn’t have grown to this level but we need to use it responsibly, he concluded.

Prizes were given away to the students from the neighbouring schools who were the winners in the various competitions held during the environment day celebrations. Saplings were planted by the dignitaries at the end of the programme.