Humans Need Lungs, So Do Cities: Padma Shri Dr. B. K. S. Sanjay Calls for Green Boundaries and Sustainable Urban Planning
Humans Need Lungs, So Do Cities: Padma Shri Dr. B. K. S. Sanjay Calls for Green Boundaries and Sustainable Urban Planning
Dehradun, June 6
A One-Day National Seminar on “Environmental Sustainability in Smart City Construction and Urban Planning” was organized at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Silchar, Assam, on the occasion of World Environment Day. The seminar was jointly organized by the Institution’s Innovation Council, NIT Silchar, and The Institution of Engineers (India), Silchar Local Centre.
The programme commenced with a plantation drive under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign. Hon’ble Member of Parliament Shri Parimal Suklabaidya, Director of NIT Silchar Prof. D. K. Baidya, and Padma Shri Prof. Dr. B. K. S. Sanjay, along with faculty members, researchers, and students, actively participated and reaffirmed their commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability.
Delivering the keynote address, Padma Shri Prof. Dr. B. K. S. Sanjay spoke on “Safe Cities, Healthy Living: Integrating Public Health, Safe Roads, and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure.” He emphasized that public health is not limited to hospitals but is deeply influenced by clean air, green spaces, housing quality, and urban infrastructure.
He stated: “If houses require concrete boundaries for protection and structure, why should cities not have them? Just as a house needs concrete boundaries, a city needs green boundaries. In the same way, ‘अन्न से ही प्राण है’—life depends on food and the environment that produces it. As humans need lungs to breathe, cities also need green lungs in the form of urban forests and green belts to sustain life and ecological balance.”
He further described roads as the arteries of society and urban forests as the lungs of cities. He stressed that unplanned urbanization, congestion, and encroachments pose serious threats to public health and safety. He called for scientific urban planning, sustainable transport systems, adequate green spaces, and environmentally responsible infrastructure.
The seminar concluded with a collective resolve to build greener, safer, healthier, and more sustainable cities for future generations.
