November 2, 2010
Health Sciences Campus, Kochi
Nearly 2500 students, staff, doctors and volunteers took to the roads early morning on Sunday, October 31, to clean up the National Highway 47 stretch from Vyttila to Edapally.
The previous day, several of them had distributed leaflets to people alongside this stretch, in an attempt to create awareness about Chancellor Amma’s Amala Bharatam Campaign.
People everywhere had responded with great enthusiasm.
Then, on Sunday morning, a huge group brimming with energy and equipped with lots of cleaning tools set out on the task.
“We collected waste material including plastic bags, plastic bottles, used pan-masala sachets, paper waste as well as other waste from the highways,” informed the students.
The waste was segregated into non-degradable plastic waste and biodegradable waste, to aid in its proper disposal.
Several JCBs, trucks and tippers assisted with the waste collection and disposal effort.
“Finally, we removed about 60 tons of waste materials from different locations along the National Highway,” informed the coordinators.
MLAs Sri. Dominic Presentation and Sri. K. Babu also participated in the clean-up drive alongside students, staff and volunteers. The local police and the district administration rendered full support.
Groups of volunteers from other residential areas also participated and cleaned up other areas in the Ernakulam district, including Panangad, Mattanchery, Moovattupuzha, Kothamangalam, Palluruthy, Okkal, Pulluvazhy and Aluva.
The organizers expressed their gratitude to the Corporation of Cochin for granting permission to clean all these areas as well as helping with vehicles and manpower to collect and dispose off the waste.
Seeing students everywhere with gloves, masks, brooms, shovels and baskets, people passing by were clearly touched.
“Many congratulations to the Amrita team for taking on this cleaning initiative,” they exclaimed.
“It is all possible because of our Chancellor Amma’s inspiration,” humbly responded the students.
The cleanup drive that began at 6:30 in the morning continued up till 6:30 in the evening in most places.
Post the drive, so many areas that had previously been covered with garbage for many, many years sported a spotlessly clean look.
Here’s hoping that these areas now remain clean; that people respect students’ cleanup efforts and make a whole-hearted attempt to stop littering and the indiscriminate disposal of garbage.
See Also
Amala Bharatam Cleanup Drive at Coimbatore
Amrita Students Take Cleanup Drive to Sasthamkota Lake
