Stressing on the importance of public participation in the fight against pollution and creating healthy cities, Lok Sabha Member from Kalaburagi Umesh Jadhav said that every citizen should join hands with the corporation to transform Kalaburagi into a clean and green city.
“Don’t throw waste, be it degradable or non-degradable, at will in the city. You should maintain cleanliness not just in your houses but in your neighbourhood as well. If you find heaps of garbage in any corner of the city, just call the Municipal Corporation and it will clean the place. If the civic body officials don’t act upon your complaint, we will take action against them. I appeal to the corporation to involve public in maintaining the city’s cleaniness,” Mr. Jadhav said.
He was addressing the public before flagging off the plogathon and plantation drive at Jagat Circle in Kalaburagi on Saturday. The event was organised by City Municipal Corporation in association with United Hospital, a super-specialty centre for accident, trauma and critical care, to spread the environmental awareness among the public.
Later, Mr. Jadhav flagged off the plantation drive by planting a sapling near Basaveshwar statue in the Public Garden along with Corporation Commissioner Bhuvanesh Devidas Patil and Chairman and Managing Director of United Hospital Vikram Siddareddy.
“To spread environmental awareness among residents, we have organised this plogathon – a competition to collect used single-use plastic from the public spaces. School children, members of civil society organisations, government servants and other enthusiasts are divided into teams with a maximum of 25 members. The winners will be selected on the basis of the quantity of plastic they collect. We have established 10 collection points across the city and the teams can deposit their plastic collections at the nearest point. The team which collects the maximum quantity of plastic will be awarded first prize carrying cash of ₹25,000. The second and third prize would carry ₹20,000 and ₹15,000,” Mr. Patil said.
“I feel very happy to be part of this clean and green drive. Having always been environment sensitive, the United Hospital is making all efforts to transform Kalaburagi a clean and green city. We will continue to collaborate with and extend all support to the Kalaburagi City Corporation in its efforts for creating healthy neighbourhoods,” Mr. Siddareddy said.