By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUNn, 16 Jul: UPES celebrated Uttarakhand’s auspicious festival ‘Harela’ among the residents of villages Koti and Dhalani in Sahaspur Block of Tehsil Vikasnagar, today. The event was marked with the plantation of 100 saplings of ‘lemon’ trees in the villages by Dr Sunil Rai – Vice Chancellor UPES; Arun Dhand – Senior Director; Shahi Bala Raunchhela – Gram Pradhan, Dhalani; Anirudh Solanki – Principal, Rajkiye Madyamik Vidyalaya Dhalani; Tuman Singh – Village Elder and Retired Faculty, LBSNAA, Mussoorie; Members of the Gram Panchayat and UPES-CSR Team Volunteers that included Ankur Chaudhary, Vibhor Goel, Shashank Srivastava and others. The village residents contributed enthusiastically to the plantation drive. The event concluded successfully with distribution of facemasks and sweets among the village residents.
Introducing the Vice Chancellor-UPES to the Gram Pradhan, village panchayat members and the residents; being his first visit to the twin villages, Arun Dhand apprised Dr Rai with the various social responsibility interventions being carried out in the villages under the UPES-CSR activities. Expressing his heartfelt gratitude to UPES for supporting Koti and Dhalani residents, Tuman Singh appreciated the focused efforts of the UPES-CSR Team in improving the lives of the village residents. Shashi Bala Raunchhela utilised the occasion to request for increased University support on many more issues concerning the village.
Presenting the village residents with a ‘Gift Pack’ comprising a pair of ‘lemon tree’ saplings, a pair of facemasks and sweets on the occasion, Dr Sunil Rai expressed his happiness at the community participation focusing on conservation of environment under the Harela festivities. Addressing the village community gathered at the ‘ANM Centre, Dhalani’, Dr Rai applauded Uttarakhand’s role in environment conservation by constantly expanding its green cover. Participating in the festival celebration, the Vice Chancellor’s wife, Manju Rai, used the opportunity to interact with the women residents. She offered her contribution as an experienced teacher to the Government Secondary School of the village.
