Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Corporation, on Friday, October 2, celebrated Gandhi Jayanti in a muted fashion.
The dignitaries of the occasion, including Mayor Sashidhar Hegde and Bejai ward Corporator Lancelot Pinto, marched towards Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in front of the MCC building on M G Road, garlanded and showered it with petals.
Following this, there was a short programme held on the premises.
Speaking on the occasion, MCC Mayor Diwakar urged the people to keep their surroundings clean and follow the Covid-19 guidelines as there has been a spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths. “We achieved freedom under Mahatma Gandhiji’s leadership, but his dream of a clean India is still unfulfilled. Cleanliness and sanitation were made an integral part of the Gandhian way of living. Cleanliness is important for physical well-being and a healthy environment. It has an effect on public and personal hygiene and it is essential that everyone learns about cleanliness, hygiene, sanitation. Habits learnt at a young age are embedded in one’s personality. Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”. We should all keep our city clean and green’.” he added.
MCC Commissioner Akshy Sridhar, who was also present said, “Waste segregation will be implemented uniformly in all 60-wards of the MCC from October 2 onwards. The civic body collected wet waste from residential and commercial complexes on a daily basis and dry waste every Friday on a trial basis in five wards. A maximum grace period of 10-days is being given, after which fines will be levied on those who fail to segregate waste. The MCC is also considering setting up CCTV surveillance in open spaces that have become dumping grounds for debris. Health inspectors and environmental engineers will monitor the waste segregation.”
During the celebrations, waste picker identity cards were issued to six people of the 156 persons who were previously selected. These waste pickers will collect dry waste and send it to the recyclers. Under this concept initiated by the Hasiru Dala / APD Foundation after understanding the existing solid waste management, waste pickers and operators will earn from the revenue generated by the sale of recyclable waste.
Before the celebrations, MCC officials like Commissioner Akshy Sridhar, Mayor Diwakar Pandeshwar, Health Officer Dr Manjayya Shetty, Environmental Engineer Madhu Manohar, Deputy Mayor Vedavathi, Corporator Leelavathi Prakash, and others visited houses close to the MCC office and distributed pamphlets about waste segregation and Covid-19 precautionary measures.
Mangaluru Rotary Club members including Rotary District Governor Rtn Ranganath Bhat also joined the MCC officials.
The programme was compered by Er Madhu S Manohar, the MCC Environmental Engineer.
Former MCC Mayor Sashidhar Hegde and others were also present.
