The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Students collect plastic wastes

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Monday, Jun 14, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Students collect plastic wastes

Staff Reporter

Non-degradable:Collector C. Munianathan and school students collecting waste plastic materials at Velankanni Church Beach.

NAGORE: The 188-kilometre-long coastline of the district, here from Kollidam to Kodiakkarai, marked the site of a massive one-day environmental initiative on Thursday. An intense three-hour coastal cleaning campaign was ushered in under the aegis of the district administration in observation of the World Environment Day.

The exercise was planned by Collector C. Munianathan. The campaign saw a participation of over 3,400 students from over 36 schools.

The participants were students from standard eight to 12 and polytechnic students. Volunteers of NCC, NSS and JRC also participated.

The beach cleaning programme commenced at 2.30 p.m. at 25 specified locations under the supervision of district officials.

The locations were Nagore Sillady Beach and Pattinacherry, Nagapattinam New Beach and Old Beach, Akkaraipettai, Velankanni, Seruthur, P.R. Puram, Kameshwaram, Vettaikaraniruppu, Vizhundhumavady, Vellapallam, Pushpavanam, Arukattuthurai and Thopputhurai, Vedharanyam Beach, Maniyan Theevu, Kodiakkarai, Kodiyampalayam, Kottaimedu, Madavaimedu, Thirumullaivasal, Keemoovarkarai, Vanagiri, Poompuhar, Tharangambadi, and Chandrapadi.

They were shortlisted at a district-level meeting organised here on May 10 to work out the logistics of the campaign. The Forest Department provided gunny bags, first aid kits and soaps, while SHGs provided the participants with tea and snacks. Further, 108 emergency ambulance services were stationed at specified locations.

Wherever possible, tractors were engaged to plough out buried plastic materials.

Each student was assigned one to five gunny bags, and the collected biodegradable and non-degradable wastes were taken by the local municipalities to their respective compost yards. The Collector C. Munianathan inaugurated the campaign at Velankanni Beach, the District Revenue Officer, A. Annadurai, supervised the campaign at Tharangambadi Beach. M. Pannirselvam, Assistant Executive Engineer, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, along with V. Thirunavukarasu, District Forest Officer, supervised the campaign at Nagore Beach. Additionally, Naval officer, Nagapattinam, and Port Officer supervised the campaign at Nagapattinam Beach and Naval Officer, Thopputhurai, supervised at Arukattuthurai. The Chief Education Officer had organised the participation of schools from across the district. Officials from Naval Detachment, Port Authority, and school representatives supervised the cleaning initiative at specified locations. As part of corporate social responsibility industries such as PPN Power Generating Company, HOEC, Pillaiperumanallur; CPCL, Panangudi; IOCL, Muttam and Chemplast Sanmar Limited, Vedaranyam participated.

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