NSS volunteers making efforts to preserve nature
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nature and it’s scenic beauty is something to be preserved, and that is what a group of NSS volunteers from Poovachal Government Vocational Higher Secondary School believe. A group of students from the school has recently come to the fore with such a step, taking the responsibility to preserve the hilly area called Nadukani Para in Poovachal.
According to the school’s NSS programme coordinator Udayakumar U, it was one-day nature camp held for the NSS students which led to the ‘discovery’. Held in the vicinity of Kattakada, 30 NSS volunteers participated in the event. It was during the camp that the students got to learn about such a place, and that too from children living in the surrounding area.
Describing the area, he says, “Nadukani Para is a very scenic and beautiful hilly area like Ponmudi, which is situated in Poovachal, on the way to Kattakada. There is an Ayyappakshetram being constructed in the area, and there are a few rubber plantations nearby.”
Exploring the place led the students for doing their bit to preserve the area and to give the hilly area the recognition it deserves. They started by cleaning the place, collecting a sack full of plastic waste. On the reason to come up with the initiative, the NSS coordinator says, “It is a very beautiful place which could be developed into a tourist destination. But unfortunately, even those who are native to Poovachal does not know that such a place exists.
It is mostly frequented by smokers, drunkards and others indulging in antisocial activities. Burnt cigarettes and broken bottles are usual sights, and there have been instances where trees in the rubber plantations have caught fire. Many trees still stand there, burnt and dry,”
Nursing a mission to leave no stone unturned to preserve the place and getting Nadukani Para acknowledged for its beauty, the NSS unit of the school now plans to write a request letter to the Tourism Department to take steps for promoting the place as a tourist spot. Udayakumar said, “We plan to send a similar letter to the local police station for visiting the place and installing CCTV cameras.” This is a very good step taken by the NSS unit as it shows the effort and dedication of students, adds school principal Nisa K. The school, which has an active NSS unit, had bagged an award recently for having the best PTA in the High School category in the district.