The green booths set up in different parts of the district on account of the local body polls were crowd pullers in many places. With the total green look provided by the banners and decorations made of coconut leaves and other eco-friendly materials, they evoked the curiosity of the voters. Many were seen approaching the booths with a look of “What is this all about” and were impressed by the explanation given by the volunteers.
“This is exactly what we wanted. To evoke the curiosity and thus create an awareness against the use of non-biodegradable materials,” Shailesh E.P., Junior Health Inspector of Kozhikode Corporation, explained.
Braided coconut leaves and screwpine mats were used for banners and waste baskets in these booths. Messages regarding the COVID-19 protocol were displayed on coclocasia leaves. Drinking water was kept in earthen pots. In some places, the polling officers used paper pens for writing and areca leaf plates as trays in the polling booths.
“We could have used a variety of other materials such as jute or terracotta which are also eco-fiendly. But they would not make the impact that this greenery makes and grab as much attention,” Mr. Shailesh said.
The health wing of the corporation had been instrumental in setting up the green polling booths at St. Joseph’s Boys Higher Secondary School and Government Ganapath Girls’ Higher Secondary School in the city while the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls at Nadakkavu, which was a distribution and collection centre of polling materials and the polling booth at Government UP School near Civil Station were also set up in a similar manner under the aegis of the volunteers of the District Suchitwa Mission. Most polling booths in Vadakara and Koyilandy municipalities were also set up as green booths under the aegis of the respective local bodies.