New Delhi, Oct 31 : The national capital may get new green cover as the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee has started a tree plantation drive to fight the adverse effect on the environment due to ongoing construction work.

"The Organising Committee Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 is cognizant of the impact that big sporting events have on the environment. In this context, the organising committee has initiated a plantation drive with Department of Environment (DoE), Delhi government, which has been kicked off at Arya Nagar city forest today," an official statement said late Friday.

Around 3,000 saplings were planted in the Arya Nagar city forest by student volunteers from eco-clubs, schools and colleges and officials of the Delhi government, forest department and the organising committee members.

Following this, the plantation drive will go to five other city forests.

"The Sustainability and Environment Functional Area of the organising committee of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi has adopted a Green Games vision to strive towards reducing carbon and consumption footprint of the Games and become the benchmark for all multi-disciplinary games in the future," the statement added.

"The organising committee has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in this regard," it said. (dpa)