In a bid to make Indrakeeladri hill plastic material-free, Sri Durga Malleswara Swamivarla Devasthanam, in association with city-based service organisation Vignana Bharathi, launched a campaign against use of plastics bags and other items on Wednesday. Over 100 activists from Vignana Bharathi and about 50 employees working in the devasthanam took out a rally from Ratham Centre to goddess Kanakadurga temple atop Indrakeeladri. Flagging off the rally, city Police Commissioner P.S.R. Anjaneyulu underscored the need for protecting mother earth from pollutants and stated that minimising the use of plastics was the first step towards reaching the goal of turning eco-friendly.
Executive Officer of the devasthanam N. Vijaya Kumar said that the temple would be turned eco-friendly in a phased manner. He announced that the plastic bags and materials being used by the devasthanam would be replaced with eco-friendly products soon. A meeting was held at the temple at the end of the rally. The meeting was followed by a clean and green programme conducted by the members of the service organisation and the employees of the devasthanam. The volunteers formed into groups of ten and went around picking plastic bags, plates and glasses strewn around the slopes of the hillock. Bearing the scorching sun, they collected huge plastic covers and sent them for recycling. Convener of the Vignana Bharathi Upadrashta Lakshmana Suri thanked the devasthanam officials for providing them an opportunity to launch the eco-friendly campaign at the temple.