Vellore: The Vellore corporation and all district panchayats, including the public should take responsibility of keeping the Palar river from getting polluted, VIT University founder & Chancellor G.Viswanathan, said on Saturday. He made the appeal before cleaning of the river for the second year started.
Clean Palar Project is an effort of the VIT University’s Green Vellore, which had completed the cleaning work in Palar by removing weeds and ‘karuvelam’ plants for more than two kms last year. This year, the cleaning work in the river would cover four kilometers, within the Vellore Corporation limits.
Viswanathan said in order to protect rivers, the government could make use of the manpower under the 100-day Rural Employment and Guarantee Scheme for strengthening the banks of the river. All NGOs in the district and the public also should come forward to share the responsibility.
The PWD should take stringent action against those who had encroached upon canals of rivers and lakes and ensure there are no more encroachments. He also made an open appeal to fans clubs of Rajinikanth, Kamal
Hassan, Vijay and Suriya, who were present at the meeting, to join hands
in the project and make it a grand success and role-model for others.
Vellore Corporation Health Officer Vasanth Divaakar, who was the chief-guest at the function, said the Corporation had planned to construct a compound wall for a distance of 0.75 km dividing the burial ground and the Palar river. The Corporation was examining the tenders and construction work would begin after finalisation of tenders. He further said the civic body had planned to introduce bio-gasifier to incinerate dead bodies in crematorium.
VIT University Vice President G.V.Selvam, Zonal Committtee Chairmen
A.P.L.Sundaram and Ayyappan, Councillor Pichai Muthu, PWD Executive
Engineer Anbarasu (Irrigation), voluntary organisations’ representatives T.D.K.Maran and Chandrasekaran, fans of cine actors Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Vijay and Suriya and Tamil Nadu Hotel Owners Association Venkada Subbu were among those who offered their felicitations.
