The Suchitwa Mission has launched the ‘Kaathu and Ammu beautifying the city’ project as part of cleaning up the city ahead of the National Games. ‘Ammu,’ the Great Hornbill, is the mascot of the National Games and ‘Kathu,’ the crow, is the mascot of the Suchitwa Mission, which is the green partner of the games.
The project aims at collecting and separating waste from major roads and residential areas of the city and using the biodegradable waste to grow saplings in grow-bags. The saplings will then be sold to the public.
On Monday, the first hundred saplings were sold at a function organised near the Chinmaya Mission School at Vazhuthacaud. Mayor K. Chandrika, National Games CEO Jacob Punnoos and Suchitwa Mission Executive Director K. Vasuki were present.
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Each grow-bag containing a sapling is sold at Rs.50. Several residents associations have come forward expressing willingness to buy the saplings, to beautify their common areas. The non-biodegradable waste, including plastic, bottles and CFL lamps, were cleaned and made suitable for reuse and sales. In addition to this, spots where waste is dumped regularly in large quantities have been identified. As part of the project, such areas will be cleaned up and saplings will be planted. Both flowering plants as well as bamboo will be used for this purpose. The responsibility of maintaining the cleaned up areas free of waste dumping will be with the respective residents’ associations.
The councillors led the clean-up operations at various locations, including the police quarters near Vikas Bhavan, YMR Road at Nanthencode, and Easwaravilasom Road. The project would be expanded in cooperation with the residents associations and various institutions, said Ms. Vasuki, who is also the Executive Coordinator of the National Games Green Protocol Committee.
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Suchitwa Mission, the green partner of the games, launches the ‘Kaathu and Ammu beautifying the city’ project.