Chennai: In line with Swacch Bharat initiatives, the Coast Guard Region East conducted a special coastal cleanup-cum-community interaction programme at Kasimedu harbour on Monday, as a part of the 43rd Raising Day celebrations of Indian Coast Guard.
About 2,000 kgs of plastic waste including discarded nylon nets were removed from Chennai’s premier fishing harbour by the Coast Guard with help from local fisherfolk, representatives from the Coastal Police, Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP), Dr MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and social work students from Thiruthangal Nadar College.
The heads of eight different fishermen associations along with 300 fishermen participated in the second part of the event – the Community Interaction Programme of the Indian Coast Guard. It was held in coordination with BOBP and MSSRF.
Issues related to the safety of life at sea, carriage of basic life-saving equipment and biometric ID cards were demonstrated to the fishermen in an interactive manner. Basic first-aid including resuscitation of people rescued from drowning and use of the Fishermen Friend mobile app developed by the MSSRF was demonstrated.
The chief guest, Chief Staff Officer, Regional Headquarters (East), DIG Donny Michael exhorted to all present to proactively ensure cleanliness of the coast. He sought the support of fishermen to act as the eyes and ears of the Indian Coast Guard to help combat any seaward threats to national security.
The entire event was coordinated by Coast Guard Ship Shaurya Commanded by DIG Jyotinder Singh. Film actor Dheena also participated in the clean-up initiative.