Ahead of the Valvil Ori festival, flower show and tourist vizha to begin at Kolli Hills on August 2, a mass cleaning campaign was conducted in which plastic materials were removed on the Ghat Road here on Wednesday.
Collector M. Asia Mariam launched the campaign at the foothills of Kolli Hills at Karavalli, where she along with college students and NGOs, collected plastic materials and other waste materials.
Later, students began collecting the waste materials on the Ghat Road that leads to the hills. She said that tourists to the hilltop during the two-day annual festival on August 2 and 3 should avoid bringing plastic items to protect the environment. She said that the district administration had made necessary arrangements for smooth conduct of the festival and asked the public to come in large numbers and participate in the celebrations.
The campaign was organised jointly by Highways Department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Forest Department, Gokulnatha Mission and The Indian Red Cross Society. District Forest Officer R. Kanchana and other officials also took part in the campaign.