Governor Banwarilal Purohit urged the shopkeepers to keep the surroundings of the Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple clean and dispose of waste in bins.
The Governor, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, cleaned up a portion near the Rajagopuram as Collector K. S. Kandasamy, Revenue Divisional Officer of Tiruvannamalai Umamaheswari Ramachandran and Tiruvannamalai Municipality Commissioner S. Parijatham joined him.
He went on to interact with shopkeepers, who sell temple offerings such as coconut and camphor, near the Rajagopuram. Kaniammal, one of the shopkeepers, said, “The Governor told us to keep a dustbin and dispose of the waste in it. I already have a cardboard box to dump the waste. When I showed him the box, he told me to keep a permanent bin. Municipal workers regularly clean the place, and we too clean. What he has told us is a good thing indeed,” she said.
Another shopkeeper, Durai, said that the Governor told him not to throw waste on the road but put it in a bin and handover to the municipal vehicle.
Mr. Purohit distributed safety gear kits such as gloves, mask and gum boots to 345 municipal sanitary workers.
Visits exhibition
Earlier, he administered the Swachh Bharat pledge to government officials, school students and public. He also flagged off a cleanliness propaganda vehicle and visited an exhibition showcasing the achievements and schemes of the State government.
He inaugurated a blood donation camp organised by the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. A total of 120 persons donated blood at the camp. He held a review meeting with district officials and later received petitions from people representatives, NGOs and political party members. A total of 149 petitions were submitted.
Two persons from the ‘Narikurava’ community submitted petitions seeking 100 houses under the State government’s green house scheme and basic amenities for their area in Chengam. The Governor later offered prayers at the Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple.
DMK stages protest
Members of DMK party led by MLA E. V. Velu waved black flags protesting against the Governor’s visit to the district near Gandhi statue.
