CUTTACK: At a time when most teens waste their time on social media, a Class VIII student of Bhakta Madhu Vidyapitha here in the city has used the same platform for a greater cause - to appeal local residents not to dump garbage near the school boundary wall.
Fourteen-year-old Abhijeet Singh took such a step after repeated complaints by the school authorities to the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and the local corporator regarding dumping of garbage on the roadside adjacent to the school yielded no result.
Established in Kazi Bazar way back in 1881, Bhakta Madhu Vidyapitha is considered one of the oldest schools in the city with students’ strength of 520 from classes I to X. However, regular dumping of garbage on the road adjacent to the school created an unhygienic atmosphere besides putting students and the school management in great discomfort owing to the foul smell emanating from the area on a regular basis.
When Abhijeet saw that the problem persisted despite repeated complaints to the CMC and the corporator, he took it on himself to appeal the local residents not to dump garbage near the school.
In the video message, which soon went viral on social media, Abhijeet could be seen politely requesting the public with folded hands not to litter the road near his school.
“The garbage dumped on the road has been lying unattended for several days thereby creating an unhygienic environment for all. This apart, the stench emanating from the unattended garbage is causing severe unconvenience for students as well as the staff,” he could be seen stating in the video.
School headmistress Dhrupti Deepa Parida said she had taken the matter to the CMC and the local corporator several times in the past but to no avail. “Abhijeet hails from a poor family but is a bright student. Having witnessed the problems faced by the students and staff because of the garbage dump on a regular basis and the apathy of the civic body, he made the video appealing local residents not to litter the road nearby,” Parida said.
Abhijeet along with some of his friends had also organised a cleanliness and anti-corruption awareness programme during the recent Balijatra, the headmistress said.