Chitralekha Vanamalai
“Cleanliness is next to godliness and I firmly believe in this,” says AVM Avenue Residents Welfare Association secretary Narasimhan as the association is taking up a cleaning campaign today.
In what will be the 17th clean-up campaign of the streets that come under the association, the project will see streets cleared of waste, including banned plastic items. The event will commence when the clock turns half-past-seven, from Eighth Street.
Narasimhan said Janaki Raman of Vivekanandar Narpani Mandram is the brain behind this concept and added that members of the mandram are also going to participate in the campaign.
He went on to emphasise the pressing need to keep our surroundings clean as, otherwise, he says, insanitary conditions would lead to pollution of the environment and outbreak of vector-borne diseases which may even prove fatal.
Speaking to News Today, Janaki Raman said the programme is scheduled to create awareness on two things – first to maintain the surroundings clean and second regarding solid waste management.
He further said per capita solid waste generation from a single family in the city is around 650 grams per day (data from Chennai Corporation) and it has to be bought to a bare minimum if things are to be kept under control.
Janaki Raman said he and his wife are very keen about the concept. “We ensure that we follow the principles of recycling, reuse and refuse and have been able to bring down our solid waste to nil as far as our family is concerned.”
The methods they adopt are segregation of plastic, paper, metal waste, recycling them through waste mart alone and not dumping them, using compostable pots for food waste and a strict ‘NO’ to plastic carry bags.
Panchatcharam, the joint secretary of the association, says that if people co-operate with the civic body, authorities would be able to perform better.
“The general public should learn to reduce solid waste. They should at least try to segregate waste. It will go a long way in saving the planet,” he added.
According to Panchatcharam, the initiative has the support of AVM Avenue Association and and other like-minded people from Vivekananda Youth Foundation and Chakkaram Foundation, all of whom are involved in many social activities in and around Valasaravakkam.
For details, contact Janaki Raman at 75500 21609.