A young woman painting the traffic circle at the bustling Chuttugunta Centre raised a great deal of curiosity among passers-by on Sunday.
Clutching the brush, she applied a coat of reddish brown colour to the cement structure and gave it a white border. It is Lakshmi Annapurna of ‘Margam’, a city-based service organisation floated by her to drive traffic sense into people.
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It was chaos on city roads that drove Ms. Annapurna to set out on a mission to right the wrongs. Ms. Annapurna, a housewife, is a shining example of the adage, “all great things are achieved by doing small things with enormous commitment”.
Determined to finda solution to chaos on city roads, Ms. Annapurna has taken her first step towards what seems like a marathon journey.
Gross violation of rules such as jumping signals, over-speeding, reckless driving and haphazard parking disturbed the young woman who is all out to do her bit to improve the situation.
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Sunday’s project - painting of the traffic circle - was part of her latest drive, ‘My Street’, taken up by young volunteers of ‘Margam’.
“We want people in every street of the city to feel a sense of belonging towards their respective streets and keep them spic and span. Starting the project at home, Ratnamamba Street in Mogulrajpuram where I live, we have taken upon ourselves the mission to clear garbage strewn across the place and beautify public spaces like this traffic circle,” she says.
Earlier, film posters covered the cement wall of the traffic circle. “Many of them were obscene. These posters can distract attention of people driving vehicles, leading to accidents. Removal of posters and giving a fresh coat of paint to this circle serves a dual purpose,” she says.
Garbage is a major problem in all areas of the city. “I am told that the municipal authorities are facing dearth of funds. We, the volunteers of ‘Margam’ are willing to contribute our bit by clearing garbage and beautifying the city,” she says.