Thanjavur, July 17, 2013: A three-hour cleaning operation was taken up at Sri Ayravadeswarar temple at Darasuram near Kumbakonam on Tuesday by a group of volunteers of service organisations, NSS volunteers of various schools, and Red Cross members.

They collected plastic material, carry bags, and other non-degradable waste on the temple premises and the main streets around the temple. The Tourism Department organised the programme following the State government’s decision on cleaning the temple premises and sensitising the masses on the need for avoiding plastics and other non-degradable material.

R. Ramamurthy, Tourist Officer, handed over 12 ornamental garbage bins to be used on the temple campus in different places.

“Costing about Rs. 90,000, the ornamental garbage bins would attract the tourists and devotees to utilise it thereby motivating them to extend their cooperation to keep the temple clean.

“The success story of the cleanlinless was already witnessed at Sri Mariamman temple in Punnainallur,” he said.

He gave away the ornamental bins to Gnanasekaran, Assistant Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

The ornamental bins were made of reinforced plastic fibre, which could be recycled.

Earlier, Shankaranarayanan, Revenue Divisional Officer, Kumbakonam, flagged off an awareness rally in which students and volunteers participated.

Mr. Shankaranarayanan inaugurated the planting of saplings at the temple.

R. Saraswathy, Town panchayat president, and R. Ashok Kumar, vice president, promised all possible assistance for ensuring proper segregation of the degradable and non-degradable garbage at Darasuram.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 17, 2013.