Dindigul :

There are many who say that it is impossible to keep India clean, but N Panchampatti panchayat in Athoor union has set an example by bagging the cleanest village award of Dindigul district from the Tamil Nadu government.

The man behind this cleanliness drive in the village is the panchayat president K Karuppiah, who has been elected for the second consecutive term. One thing that helped him in this endeavour is his experience with the engineering department of the Indian Army. Earlier, he helped the village bag the ‘Nirmal Puraskar’ award for the best panchayat in the year 2008.

Karuppiah, who belongs to the AIADMK, makes it a point to go around the streets of the 12 wards in the panchayat almost every day. At first, the people were educated on the importance of depositing the garbage  in the dustbins placed near the street corners. When some residents refused to comply, the panchayat put up sign boards warning them of being fined Rs 100 if they continued to dump the waste in open places.

Then, steps were taken to prevent open defecation by ensuring toilets for almost all the 2,000 houses in the village. This has more or less been achieved. The green cover was enhanced by planting and nurturing about 300 to 400 trees on the roadsides.

Villagers and shopkeepers are asked to say no to plastics, but Karuppiah says that he found it to be a tough task. Now, the four sweepers in the village segregate the plastic in the garbage and it is sold for Rs five a kg. The sweepers are very regular in their duty and play an important role in keeping the place clean. Self-help groups in the region shred the plastic, which can be sold for Rs 25 a kg. The material can be used to lay roads, says Karuppiah.

The panchayat president says that they are planning to set up a garbage recycling unit where the perishable and non-perishable waste would be segregated and used for the development of the village with the Rs 5 lakh they have received through the cleanliness award. “The cost would be higher than Rs 5 lakh but we believe that only a recycling unit would ensure the permanent cleanliness of the village so the panchayat administration is working towards it,” he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madras> Cleanliness / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / July 01st, 2013