MADURAI
In an effort to keep the city ‘clean and green’, a battery of Judges from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court joined hands with public, students, officials of the district administration, city corporation, police, Public Works and Income Tax departments in a massive cleaning drive along the Vaigai on Thursday.
Presiding over the function to launch the programme, Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao said with Madurai having been selected under Smart Cities project, a number of initiatives had been taken up in the last nine months by the corporation officials. With the launch of ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign in educational institutions and other public places recently, many campuses had started sporting a new look.
The steps taken by the corporation to ban plastic bags around the Meenakshi temple had brought in desired results. Sustained checks in shops and campaigns to support the ban through media had resulted in substantial reduction in use of plastic bags, Mr. Rao said.
Corporation Commissioner Aneesh Shekar said 600 tonnes of waste/garbage was lifted from the 100 wards of the city every day through trucks and tractors. The corporation was now focussing on ensuring that its campuses were clean and free from posters.
Though segregation of waste – into biodegradable and non-biodegradable – was in place, it was yet to pick up and sought the cooperation of different stakeholders.
Led by Justice K.K. Sasidharan, Justices G.R. Swaminathan, Raja, Bharatidasan, Kalyanasundaram, Nisha Banu and Satishkumar, Principal District Judge Tharani, Chief Judicial Magistrate Sathiamurthi, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax Susie Varghese, Commissioner of Police Mahesh Kumar Agarwal, District Revenue Officer Gunalan, Deputy Commissioner (Corporation) Manivannan, City Engineer Mathuram and others participated.
The dignitaries planted saplings along the riverbed and distributed dust bins of different colours to the public.
Mr. Rao and Dr. Aneesh Shekar told reporters that 2,500 employees from various departments, 2,500 school and college students, 1,000 self-help group members and a large number of conservancy workers were deployed along the river from Kuruvikaran Salai Bridge to Ramarayar Mandapam. The clean-up drive would go on at various places till October 2, they added.
Students, who took a pledge to keep the city clean and green, said they were concerned about ecological imbalance and hoped that through sustained efforts pollution levels would be controlled.