THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The road in front of the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT) at Chavadimukku, in the city, had turned into a dumping ground for medical waste, when its director Prof K J Joseph decided to act. His solution: planting okra seeds in the affected sections along National Highway 66.
Prof Joseph also put up a board asking passersby to pluck the mature ones. He even placed a razor blade on the ground for people to help themselves. While the organic okra was free of cost for the public, for Prof Joseph it has been a way to address the garbage menace.
Up until two months back, the narrow shoulder between GIFT’s compound wall and the main road cut a sorry figure with heaps of syringes and needles being dumped covertly. Since there was no CCTV, there was no way to nab the people behind it.
When the issue came to the notice of Prof Joseph, he decided to deal with it “organically”. He planted okra seeds after clearing the garbage. Prof Joseph tells TNIE that his aim was to address the garbage menace and with the help of two gardeners of GIFT they cleaned the waste. Now there are close to 50 plants adorning the stretch.