Lakshman Rao, a resident of Krishnapuri in RA Puram, Chennai, who had been a practitioner of organic composting at his home now for nearly a decade wants a similar method to be adopted by the local corporation park.
Speaking to News Today, Lakshman Rao, who has been living in Krishnapuri at RA Puram for over 40 years says, “For the past 10 years I am practising the organic composting at my garden. I get manure regularly and use it in my garden, which gives good nutrition to the plants and trees.”
According to him, the Krishnapuri Park which is opposite to his house, has been there in the locality for more than 25 years and most of the residents of the area use it every morning for walking and activities like yoga too take place.
“The Krishnapuri Park has a lot of trees and everyday heaps of dry leaves fall all around the park. The next day, the workers clean it and dump everything into the dustbin here which is then transported into a vehicle to eventually dump it, so seeing the results in my garden I thought why can’t the park too start a similar initiative of composting the waste and that’s how I wrote to the MLA Nataraj, regarding this,” he adds.
For the past year, Lakshman has been stressing the MLA about the need for building an effective compost pit at the park. “When I voiced the matter last year to the MLA, it did not get a due recognition so this January I tried once again and the MLA readily accepted to initiate the process. I have also suggested him four corners in the park where a pit can be dug for composting,” he says. “A few days back, members from the corporation also came to inspect the park so I think the pit will be dug up soon and the process will be started,” he adds.
Lakshman has also discussed it with the neighbours and he says that initially he got a negative response. “Most of the people were new to this idea and said that by doing the composting it would become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, however I convinced them by showing me as an example as I have been doing composting in my house,” he says.
On what made him start organic composting in his house initially, he says, “I worked as a general manager in Madras Fertilizers for 23 years and after retiring from it I decided to shift completely organic and that’s how I started the activity,” he says.
Lakshman says that if the park initiates this process, it can save a lot of costs and the manure generated can also be applied to other plants and trees in the park.
For more details, contact Lakshman at 93810 36989.