The initiative taken by S. Barathidasan and his son B. Riswanth, who mobilised people by creating a Facebook page and inviting them to participate in the cause, saw to the cleaning of the Cauvery River and its banks near Amma Mandapam on Sunday.

Members of city-based voluntary groups ‘Namma Trichy,’ and ‘I love Trichy,’ joined hands with corporation workers and the general public to clean up the stretches of the river and its banks. The corporation helped the volunteers engaged in the clean-up by providing them with two Lorries and 30 labourers. Sanitary inspector Pandiarajan was also present.

The volunteers managed to successfully clean up the stretch that was littered with remnants of death rites such as old cloth and human bones, plastic, and other waste. They requested the people not to dump waste into the river and to dispose the items of by placing them in separate boxes to be provided by the corporation.

“The corporation’s Srirangam zone chairperson has promised to provide three big bins to deposit cloth and other items, and clear them on a regular basis to keep the river banks clean,” said Mr. Bharatidasan.

Encouraged by the success of the initiative, Namma Trichy has planned to organise a similar exercise at the same venue next Sunday. “This is the first time that we have undertaken such a task. Namma Trichy is not a registered organisation, just a group of enthusiastic volunteers,” said Mr. Bharathidasan.