THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 75,000 students took part in the ‘Kuttikalude Haritha Sabha’ (children’s green assembly) organised by Local Self-Government Department to ensure the involvement of children in waste management on the occasion of Children’s Day on Thursday.
Haritha Sabhas were held as part of the campaign - Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam - that aim to transform Kerala into a zero-garbage state by March 30, 2025.
Students raised a slew of waste management-related issues in their localities and educational institutions at the event. One of the many issues raised by the students was the failure of Haritha Karma Sena to remove the collected waste.
“A slew of issues were raised and they have noticed the piled-up waste collected by Haritha Karma Sena members in their locality and demanded a solution. The issues included proper waste disposal mechanism at their school, cleaning up of water bodies in their locality, drinking water quality checking at schools, collection of waste from institutions and more,” said an official of Haritha Keralam Mission.
On Thursday, around 500 local bodies across the state organised ‘Haritha Sabha’ in district including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kannur and Kasaragod. “Owing to election code of conduct, the date of the Haritha Sabha has been postponed in some of the panchayats and will be organised in the coming days. We are yet to get the details of all Haritha Sabhas held in many districts,” the official added.
The local bodies will be addressing the issues raised by the students. “Students are getting the opportunity to assess and evaluate the waste management carried out by the local bodies,” the official added.