<p class="bodytext">Shop owners of a market in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal continued a 26-year-old environment conservation ritual by celebrating the "birthday" of a neem tree, though the affair this year was muted due to the novel coronavirus outbreak and the need for social distancing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The birthday celebration of the neem tree at Piplani's Adarsh Market in BHEL area here is normally attended every year by local officials and hundreds of schoolchildren.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I have been taking part in this event continuously for the past 16 years as I strongly believe in conserving our environment for future generations," MP Industry Principal Secretary Sanjay Shukla, who cut a cake along with other shopkeepers on Sunday, told PTI.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among those present, apart from Shukla, were Bhopal Range Inspector General of Police Upendra Jain and Bhopal civic chief VS Choudhary Kolsani.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The man behind the initiative, Adarsh Market's Rambabu Sharma, said the idea was to give back to nature, and he chose a tree as a symbol as people used wood through all stages of their lives.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Normally, a person uses wood all his life, from birth to building a house to deploying it for late rites. However, he does not give anything in return. With this thought in mind, I floated the idea of planting a neem tree 26 years ago on June 21. And since then we have been celebrating its birthday," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He claimed public sector major BHEL had got inspired by this idea and turned a 10-acre land near the market into a tree-filled plot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bhopal civic chief Kolsani said saplings would be planted across the city during the monsoon.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Shop owners of a market in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal continued a 26-year-old environment conservation ritual by celebrating the "birthday" of a neem tree, though the affair this year was muted due to the novel coronavirus outbreak and the need for social distancing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The birthday celebration of the neem tree at Piplani's Adarsh Market in BHEL area here is normally attended every year by local officials and hundreds of schoolchildren.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I have been taking part in this event continuously for the past 16 years as I strongly believe in conserving our environment for future generations," MP Industry Principal Secretary Sanjay Shukla, who cut a cake along with other shopkeepers on Sunday, told PTI.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among those present, apart from Shukla, were Bhopal Range Inspector General of Police Upendra Jain and Bhopal civic chief VS Choudhary Kolsani.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The man behind the initiative, Adarsh Market's Rambabu Sharma, said the idea was to give back to nature, and he chose a tree as a symbol as people used wood through all stages of their lives.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Normally, a person uses wood all his life, from birth to building a house to deploying it for late rites. However, he does not give anything in return. With this thought in mind, I floated the idea of planting a neem tree 26 years ago on June 21. And since then we have been celebrating its birthday," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He claimed public sector major BHEL had got inspired by this idea and turned a 10-acre land near the market into a tree-filled plot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bhopal civic chief Kolsani said saplings would be planted across the city during the monsoon.</p>