CPCL plants 500 saplings in Manali to conclude Swachhata Pakhwada campaign

Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) concluded its 15-day Swachhata Pakhwada 2026 campaign on Wednesday with a tree plantation drive in a designated five-acre green belt development area in Amullaivoyal, Manali. Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Tourism Suresh Gopi flagged off the event, where school students planted around 500 saplings of native species to promote environmental sustainability and cleanliness.

The campaign, which ran from July 1 to 15, 2026, ended with the participants taking the Swachh Bharat Mission pledge, led by Minister Suresh Gopi.

Speaking at the concluding ceremony, Mr. Gopi highlighted the collective responsibility of the public. "We have this 15 day exercise called Swachhata Pakhwada which is the responsibility of every human being because we are accountable and answerable to the standards that should be maintained in terms of atmospheric conditions," he said.

Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, Member of Parliament for North Chennai, urged the public to sustain the momentum of the campaign. He stated that people should carry forward the message of cleanliness beyond the campaign period, adding that such programmes create more awareness among students and the public to keep India clean.

Tiruvottiyur constituency MLA N. Senthil Kumar also addressed the gathering, emphasizing that cleanliness must be integrated into daily life. He stated that cleanliness should not be restricted to a single day and that each individual should take the responsibility to maintain clean environments in their homes, streets, and workplaces.

CPCL Managing Director H. Shankar spoke about the organisation's broader environmental commitments. He noted that the plantation drive was a small gesture reflecting CPCL's overall commitment to the Swachhata movement. Earlier in the day, the company had planted around 4,000 saplings in a local school.

"This tree plantation drive is going to add to a lot more biodiversity and improve air quality in the Manali neighbourhood. It will also bring down the temperature as well as carbon dioxide reduction," Mr. Shankar said.

The concluding event was attended by L.V. Navaneeth, Chief Executive Officer of The Hindu Group, and Rohit Kumar Agrawala, Director (Finance) of CPCL, alongside senior CPCL officials and local school students. The planted saplings featured native species, including neem, guava, jackfruit, mango, and Ashoka.