New Delhi: Delhi and Mumbai will be leading
India in observing the annual `Earth Hour` initiative -- one
of the largest global campaigns to combat climate change -- by
switching off lights and other electrical equipment for one
hour on March 27.
Organised by World Wide Fund for Nature, the `Earth Hour`
is celebrated across major cities of the world on the last
Saturday of March annually to pledge support for protecting
the environment.
Pledging her support to the initiative, Chief Minister
Sheila Dikshit, herself a strong votary of eco-friendly
measures, said the city will switch off its non-essential
lights for one hour from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm on March 27 to
make the event a great success.
"I can assure you that all the households can have
romantic candle light dinners sitting at their homes," Dikshit
said addressing a function organised by the WWF as part of its
campaign to make the initiative a grand success in India.
Brand Ambassador of the initiative in India Abhishek
Bachchan said, "As responsible citizens of the planet, it is
extremely crucial for all of us to address the problem of
climate change through ensuring responsible action and
adopting a sustainable way of life."
Abhishek said he would ask the film fraternity to switch
off lights in studios and in shooting locations to pledge
support for the initiative.
"It is a matter of pride for me that I am associated with
this prestigious campaign. It`s time that we take a collective
pledge and take one simple step to switch off the lights on
March 27 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm," Abhishek said.
"My whole family will also support this wonderful
initiative," he added.
Dikshit said Delhi Government would ask shopping malls,
restaurants, educational institutions and the people to switch
off their lights for one hour to observe the Earth Hour.
The WWF India said the event will also be celebrated in
Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangaluru, Chennai and Kolkata,
apart from several other cities where people will be urged to
turn off the lights in their homes and offices for a hour.
It said Delhi and Mumbai will be leading the country in
making the campaign a success in India. Both the cities had
observed the event last year and saved a total of 1,000 MW of
power.
Started in Sydney in Australia in 2007, the `Earth Hour`
had become a global event in 2008 with participation of 35
countries.
India joined the Earth Hour campaign last year. Delhi
alone had saved 700 MW of power by supporting the campaign.
In 2009, millions of people took part in the third Earth
Hour. Over 4,000 cities in 88 countries officially switched
off lights to pledge their support for saving the planet.
PTI
