SEPTEMBER 23

  • Clean Delhi campaign begins today

  • Govt to act tough on plastic ban

  • Clean Delhi campaign begins today

    THE HINDU [23 SEPTEMBER, 2003]
    By Our Staff Reporter

    NEW DELHI SEPT. 22. A massive Clean City campaign involving corporate bodies, fast food chains, students, residents' welfare associations and market associations is all set to begin from Rohini in North-West Delhi this Tuesday.

    The Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, will launch the nine-day campaign, which will end on October 2, with an hour-long "people's walk" from Auchandi Road in Rohini.

    And unlike such campaigns launched in the past, Ms. Dikshit would not pick up a broom but would run along with Delhiites for a cause to make the Capital a clean city and take a pledge not to dirty it. Other civic agencies including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council are also participating in the campaign.

    Addressing a press conference on Monday, Ms. Dikshit said: "The sole idea is to involve people in this exercise. We do not want politics. We want to involve all.''

    She has made her Cabinet colleagues in charge of various areas to oversee the campaign. "Segregation of garbage is going to be a major part of this mass awareness campaign,'' she said. "Walks would be held daily in various parts of the city,'' she added.

    Ms. Dikshit said several corporate bodies have adopted the 12 zones of the MCD for the Clean City campaign. Among these include Pepsi, Coke, Dominos, Pizza Hutt, Nirula's, Mc'Donalds, Bisleri, Tata Motors, Sintex, Microsoft, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Indian Oil and Hindustan Petroleum. This is probably for the first time that they have joined hands with the city administration for such a purpose.

    They would sponsor, t-shirts, caps, placards, banners and posters. They would also install garbage bins in parks and public places and would also adopt parks, she said. Children in a large number would be brought in as part of the campaign.

    Responding to media queries, Ms. Dikshit clarified there was no decision on privatisation of sanitation system in the Capital.

    The Chief Secretary, Shailja Chandra, said the Central Public Works Department, Archaeological Survey of India and Railways were also part of the campaign. However, the campaign would not be the Delhi Cantonment area. "There was no response from them,'' she said.

    Index


    Govt to act tough on plastic ban

    THE TIMES OF INDIA [23 SEPTEMBER, 2003]

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Taking the anti-plastic campaign forward, Kerala Government on Monday warned the manaufacturers of harsher steps like prosecution and snapping of power connection if they violated the ban on making carry bags of less than 20 microne thickness and of 20x30 size.

    The Government has notified rules in this regard as part of efforts to check use of plastic articles, found to be posing severe environmental consequences, an official said today.

    The task of enforcing the ban would be that of secretaries of local bodies. If violation of ban came to notice, it should be reported to the state pollution control board.

    The house officers in police stations, DYSPs and district collectors can take action against the violators under the relevant sections of the IPC.

    Meanwhile, a fortnight-long cleanliness camapaign would be taken up in the state from the Gandhi Jayanati day on October two, with its focus on removal of heaped up garbages and declogging of mosquito-breeding cesspools.

    Index