BENGALURU: In the coming days, mosques, temples and churches at Shivajinagar will not just talk about theological matters, but also deliver sermons on sanitation, garbage disposal and hygiene.
This new initiative will be part of a larger campaign called #ProjectShivajinagar, which will be launched this Saturday at ward number 92 (Shivajinagar). The ward is currently at the bottom of the ranking list as far as garbage segregation and disposal are concerned. The initiative will subsequently be scaled to all seven wards in Shivajinagar assembly constituency.
The campaign spearheaded by Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad aims at creating a people’s movement to transform the black spots in the city’s commercial hub into garbage-free places. Arshad told TOI the project will involve residents. The aim, he said, is to drive a largescale change in mentality.
The drive will start with basic arrangement for door-to-door garbage collection in the ward, said Arshad. “Without a proper collection system, residents end up throwing garbage on roads. My priority now is to fix this,” he said, adding that the cost of the project will be borne by Rizwan Arshad Foundation.
“In each ward, we will create 14 blocks and set up a garbage block committee for each. Every committee will handle 750 households. There will also be one garbage-collection autorickshaw for each block and it will be fitted with GPS. This will help monitor work in the designated area,” said Arshad.
In addition, each committee will also have a WhatsApp group with a representative from the office of the MLA. The group will deal with related complaints.
To kickstart the campaign, the foundation has organised a training session for 200 volunteers, garbage contractors, helpers, drivers and BBMP officials and marshals on Thursday. The attendees will be taught about cleanliness, how to coordinate with the Palike and be sensitised about encouraging each other. The model will be replicated across other wards.
Arshad said The Ugly Indians, a citizen volunteer group, is being roped in to beautify 10 black spots across the constituency this weekend. “Artists and residents will be painting walls in their neighbourhoods. This will inculcate a sense of belonging and ownership,” he added.
Volunteers will go door to door in the constituency to spread awareness and hand out 10,000 dustbins to households. The MLA also plans to hold meetings with commercial establishments like restaurants, tea stalls and pan shops in the area. He said every tea stall will be held responsible for the litter around it and owners will need to have a dustbin in place for them to be allowed to function. “The next three months will be about transforming the area into a garbage-free zone,” added Arshad.