TIRUCHY: As some residents continue to flout the corporation’s directions on garbage segregation, plastic ban and dengue prevention measures, the civic body is planning to resume awareness initiatives. This time, the corporation is proposing to ask students to ensure their parents observed plastic ban, garbage
segregation and dengue prevention measures at home.
Officials said schools also have to highlight the importance of garbage segregation, plastic ban and dengue prevention in classroom blackboards to educate students. This apart, students have to get an acknowledgement (signature) from their parents every week confirming they were following the directions of the civic body.
“We are planning to request students to ensure their parents are following our directions. They have to ensure that they are not using banned plastic products in their home and give segregated waste to corporation workers. Similarly, students have to take dengue prevention measures at home,” an official said.
Through this initiative, the corporation would be reaching out to about three lakh students. Corporation Commissioner S Sivasubramaian said the civic body would cross-check the claims of parents. “Students can submit the acknowledgements to their schools. Our officials would ensure they are handing over segregated garbage and their premises are not mosquito breeding grounds. If we find they are following our directions, we would upload their details on the corporation website,” he said.
Officials said this plan is in the pipeline and would be launched soon. “We recently talked about an awareness programme conducted in a school and found students welcomed the idea. Currently, we are planning to upload the details of schools with the highest number of students participating in this initiative. We are also considering uploading the details of the students. A final decision on this initiative would be announced soon,” a source said.
Sanitation workers have welcomed the idea. “Unsegregated waste is a major problem. Though officials had tried to impose fines on those handing over unsegregated waste, it failed to change the attitudes of residents,” a sanitation worker said.