Tata Steel Meramandali observes World Environment Day

• More than 1600 saplings planted
• More than 500 students from peripheral schools participated in drawing competition


Narendrapur: Tata Steel Meramandali (TSM) celebrated World Environment Day (WED) on June 5, 2023, aligning with the United Nations’ theme of ‘#BeatPlasticPollution’. The event took place at the Meramandali plant in Dhenkanal District, Odisha, where a range of green initiatives were undertaken as part of TSM’s sustainable month celebrations.

The culmination of these efforts was marked by an award ceremony held on June 5, 2023, at TSM’s Housing Colony. This event recognized and applauded the outstanding contributions of employees and stakeholders to various green initiatives undertaken for the week. Engaging programs such as drawing, poster, photography, and quiz competitions were held for school children and employees, creating a vibrant WED celebration. More than 500 students from local community participated in the drawing competition.

The award ceremony was graced by esteemed guests including Dr. Anup Mallick, Regional Officer, Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), Subodh Pandey, Vice President, Operations-Tata Steel Meramandali, New Material Business, and Graphene, along with Amit Kumar Singh, Chief Iron Making, TSM and Ved Prakash Thakur, Chief, Shared Services TSM. These dignitaries recognized and presented awards to the winners of the earlier competitions and addressed the gathering.

One of the notable initiatives undertaken was a special plastic waste cleaning drive outside the Company’s Housing Colony gate. Over 300 employees and their family members participated in a ‘Greenathon,’ carrying placards and distributing pamphlets to raise awareness about plastic pollution. Furthermore, an awareness session on “Mission Life and Solid Waste Management” was conducted for employees, with Dr. Anup Mallick serving as the keynote speaker, enlightening attendees about sustainable waste management practices.

To contribute to reforestation efforts, a mass plantation drive was organized at an abandoned quarry located in Berhampur village in Hindol Block where Subrat Patra, Additional Conservator of Forest, Dhenkanal Forest Division, Lohit Rath, Range Officer, Hindol Forest Range, Shailesh Verma, Managing Director, Angul Energy Limited, Anoop Srivastava, Chief Environment TSM, and local villagers joined together to plant saplings.

Additionally, various departments within the plant also participated in the WED celebration by planting saplings in their respective units, resulting in the planting of over 1600 saplings. Besides a micro composting unit was inaugurated at Chardagadia in Sibapur Gram Panchayat.

The celebrations will continue throughout the month of June as ‘Sustainability Month’. A wide range of activities including awareness campaigns, webinars, and online quizzes under the theme ‘Smart Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ have been planned as part of the month-long celebration.