CHENNAI: An amalgamation of the city’s populace — right from college students to High Court judges and IAS officers — took part in the ‘Raise your voice, not the sea level’ campaign conducted by the Indian Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO) along with the Corporation of Chennai at the Velankadu crematorium on Wednesday.
T Anand, Deputy Commissioner (Health), and Arun Kumar Thayalan, Regional Deputy Commissioner (Central), along with TN Vallinayagam, Madras High Court Lok Adalat Judge, and office-bearers of ICWO planted saplings on the crematorium premises. The participants also took an oath to safeguard the environment on the occasion of World Environment Day.
Speaking on the occasion, Vallinayagam lauded the efforts undertaken by ICWO in maintaining the Velankadu crematorium. “The NGO has maintained this space really well. More organisations should take up such spaces and do their bit for the environment,” he said.
Anand focused on the point that environment should be safeguarded at individual levels.
He said, “If every person turns ‘carbon neutral’, India’s carbon footprint can significantly be reduced. It is not an intangible concept. However, it can be achieved only if every individual takes the initiative. Planting and maintaining a sapling takes only about `20 and it is an easy way towards becoming carbon neutral.”
City Health Officer P Kuganantham said that the civic body had to engage in a lot of prodding and pushing to make NGOs take up such green spaces for maintenance.
He said, “We are still searching for an NGO to take up the Otteri crematorium. The NGOs should engage more actively to safeguard environment, which can be done effectively by increasing the city’s green spaces.”
During the event, ICWO members and students from various city colleges chanted slogans and watered saplings to mark the occasion.