The widely acclaimed ‘Punyam Poonkavanam’ cleaning project, launched by the Police Department at Sabarimala in 2011, will soon be extended to Pampa too, K. Padmakumar, Additional Director General of Police, has said.
Mr Padmakumar, accompanied by P. Vijayan, DIG; P.A. Padman, Police Special Officer; T. Narayanan, Assistant Special Officer, and K. Babu, Special Commissioner, was talking to reporters at Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Monday.
He said cleaning the river Pampa would be the focal point of the ‘Punyam Poonkavanam’ project at Pampa in the foothills of Sabarimala this year.
Formal launch
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala would formally launch the programme at Pampa on Wednesday.
The idea was to clear the waste accumulated on the river banks as well as the riverbed in an hour-long intensive cleaning drive carried out by the employees on duty, irrespective of their ranks and position in office.
This would be done on a daily basis during the ongoing pilgrim season.
The employees, attached to various government departments, non-governmental agencies, and the Travancore Devaswom Board, on duty at Sabarimala and Pampa would take part in the cleaning drive, upholding the spirit of selfless service and the importance of keeping the pilgrim centre clean and hygienic, said Mr Vijayan.
Mr Padmakumar said the unique cleaning programme had received wider acceptance with the active participation of VIPs, judicial officers, film personalities, and other prominent citizens taking part in it over the past three years.
Mr Vijayan also called upon the pilgrims to join the mission to keep the river Pampa and its surroundings clean. Mr Padmakumar stressed the need to encourage maximum pilgrim participation in the project and to desist them from throwing clothes and other articles into the river, through a properly planned awareness campaign.
Participants
VVIPs and VIPs, including high court judges and ministers, used to take part in the hour-long daily cleaning drive at the Sannidhanam during the past three years. Even the temple chief priest (Tantri) and head priest (Melsanthi) too had taken part in the cleaning drive in the beginning of the pilgrim season.
Devaswom Minister V.S. Sivakumar, accompanied by K. Babu, Special Commissioner, and P. Venugopal, Devaswom Commissioner, launched this year’s cleaning drive at Sabarimala on Monday forenoon.
