T.V. Swamy Road become model street for Coimbatore
The next time there is an emergency situation on T.V. Swamy Road help is just a phone call away. The numbers of the nearest police station, trauma care centre and ambulance have been displayed on a directory erected on the road at the junction where it joins Sir C.V.Raman Road.Put up by Clean Vista, a non-Governmental organisation working for the cleaning and beautification of T.V. Swamy Road, the directory will be of help to the commercial establishments and residents in Ward No.49.It also has the numbers to be contacted in the case of Siruvani water leakage, street light fault, and natural calamities."Most of the residents do not even know the ward number of the area. The directory will be of use to them," said Banumathi Janarthanan, chairperson of Clean Vista. The aim of the organisation is to make the street a model for others in the city, she added. Mayor R. Venkatachalam, after inaugurating the directory here on Thursday, said the work done by Clean Vista would help ease the burden on the Corporation in effective waste management."Such an initiative will encourage more and more residential areas to emulate the concept of segregation of waste and proper disposal," he said.
The vice-president of the Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC), G. Soundararajan, said the maintenance of public places was a challenging task and could not be carried out without the co-operation of the public."According to a survey conducted by RAAC, even a small shop gives away as many as 150 plastic bags a day." Shops should make a conscious effort to use paper or cloth bags instead of plastics. Plastic bags clogged the drainage, he said.In areas such as R.S. Puram where the roads were lined by commercial establishments, each shop could maintain its surroundings clean, he suggested.
Though the response from the public was good, there was still a certain amount of resistance to every new project, the members of Clean Vista felt.But, that could be overcome by spreading awareness and talking to the residents regularly, they said. "Ever since we started our cleaning operations two-and-a-half years ago, the response from the public has been slow, yet rewarding," said Rajesh Bohra, vice-chairperson of Clean Vista.
"We also plan to tie up with RAAC and talk to school and college students about the concept of taking the initiative to clean up one's own surroundings," said Chitra Nagendran, Secretary of Clean Vista.Those who wish to extend their services to the organisation or become a part of Clean Vista can contact Mrs. Janarthanan at 98940-31264.
