At 9 a.m. on any other working day, S. Balraj would be at his desk in an office complex on Anna Salai.
But Saturday was different as his day began with him joining several other volunteers as part of a cleanliness drive, on the busy stretch itself. The volunteers distributed pamphlets to the public on the importance of keeping the city clean.
Launched by United Way of Chennai, an international organisation that works in areas of education, health and income, the initiative primarily aimed at finding out what makes people litter, said Shyamala Ashok, executive director of United Way of Chennai.
The organisation teamed up with three corporate companies, including CAMS and Caterpillar, and covered areas on Anna Salai, T.K. Kapali Street, and in Taramani and Kannagi Nagar, Thoraipakkam.
“We wanted the companies to help us in taking up research in the chosen localities. Once we know what makes people litter, we can come up with strategies to tackle it and make a start. This initiative will go on for 60 days,” she said.
The Chennai Corporation cleans Anna Salai that has several commercial establishments, at least three times a day, but it still ends up being littered, said R. Rajan, manager-training of CAMS.
“The area witnesses floating population. No garbage cans are visibly kept on the stretch. Our volunteers swept the stretch between Spencer’s Plaza and Rayala Towers. We distributed pamphlets with messages to the public,” he said.
Lakshmi Narayanan, founder-member of United Way of Chennai, and vice-chairman, Cognizant Technology Solutions, was present.
