Campaign was carried to create awareness towards protecting the environment
Elephant Gulabhi with DC message blesses public in Jalakandeswarar temple in Vellore on Tuesday (Photo: DC)
Vellore: Deccan Chronicle launched a two-day 'Green Campaign' here on Tuesday reiterating the public commitment of the popular newspaper for promoting awareness towards protecting the environment. Fifty-four-year-old pachyderm Gulabi walked the city's thoroughfares wearing a specially tailored satin dress with vitally important messages for the Velloreans — Clean Vellore, Green Vellore' on the one side of her huge body and 'Harvest Rainwater, Save Electricity' on the other side. She walked for a couple of hours in the morning and about three hours in the evening thus avoiding the warm noontime hours even on a cloudy day.
A dancing horse walked along with Gulabi and the accompanying nadaswaram music drew dozens of onlookers into appreciating the Green Campaign by the newspaper.District Collector R. Nandagopal inaugurated the campaign at the Gandhi statue near the Vellore Fort just after Gulabi and team offered prayers at the Sri Jalakandeswarar Temple. Many devotees who had visited the temple for early morning worship were moved by the presence of the elephant at the gates, which they took as an auspicious start for the day. "We are lucky this morning. It is auspicious for the city that such important environment messages are being delivered through an elephant, particularly a couple of days before the Ganesh Chaturthi", said a devotee who had come with family.
Collector Nandagopal said it was heartening to note that the elephant carried important messages for the Velloreans, one of them being 'Rainwater Harvesting', a pet project of the Chief Minister. He expressed the hope that the public would respond positively and take upon themselves to follow those messages so that Vellore could turn greener and cleaner, and people save themselves from water scarcity.
Corporation Mayor Ms P. Kartiyani welcomed the DC campaign and said it would go a long way in improving green environment. Vellore SP, Dr P. Vijayakumar said planting of more saplings and improving the green cover if the city, which is surrounded by heat-radiating hills, would surely reduce the temperature, besides improving the groundwater table.The DC campaign could also create awareness for keeping the city clean, he said. Gulabi and team will continue DC's Green Campaign on Wednesday in Vellore, before moving to other parts of Tamil Nadu.
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