60 dustbins to be placed in TN's Velliangiri Hill to curb littering
COIMBATORE: To prevent devotees from dumping waste in the open, Coimbatore forest division will soon place 60 large dustbins in the Velliangiri hills.
District Forest Officer of Coimbatore forest division N Jayaraj said “ The crowd increases on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We conduct checks in the foothills to prevent people from carrying plastic material up the hills. But many people take biscuit packets, snacks, and other food items. After consuming them, they discard the covers in the open which pollutes the environment. We frequently conduct cleaning drives in the hill with help of NGOs. Last year, we removed 12 tonnes of trash after allowing devotees for three months. This year, we will place 60 dustbins, each having 500-litre capacity, in the hills.”
Further, he said traders in the foothills have been instructed to wrap food and biscuits in paper after removing original plastic covers. “We have also regulated the number of shops run by tribal people in the hills. Earlier, there were 50 shops and now it has been reduced to 40. We have instructed tribals to collect water bottles that are left by the devotees and collect Rs 20 by handing them over at the foothill,” said the DFO.
To strengthen protection, the department is planning to build a permanent shed for anti-poaching watchers (APWs) in the sixth hill at a cost of Rs 4.5 lakh. “Instructions have been given to them to ensure devotees climb only from the foothill and not in any other way. Five to six APWs are engaged in the sixth hill and they spend time in a temporary tent and tree shed. The proposed camp will be helpful for them to monitor the devotees as well as mitigate the conflict if it arises,” the DFO added.
The officer added that as per instruction of Coimbatore collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar, they have discussed with the health department as part of setting up medical camps in the first, third, and sixth hills.