An appeal to keep Palar river clean

The Vellore district corporation and all the district panchayats, including the general public should take the responsibility of keeping the Palar river from getting polluted, VIT University Founder & Chancellor Dr G.Viswanathan made an open appeal before the cleaning work in the river began for the second year on Saturday.


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 a distance of more than two kilometers in the last year. This year the cleaning work in the river would cover a distance of four kilometers,within the Corporation
limits.



Dr G.Viswanathan said that in order to protect rivers, the government could make use of the manpower of the 100-day Rural Employment and Guarantee Scheme for strengthening the banks of Palar river. He added that all the NGOs in the district and the public at large also should come forward to share the responsibility.He reminded that the
Public Works Department should take stringent action against those who had encroached canals of rivers and lakes and see that no more encroaches in the river area.



He also made an open appeal to the fans clubs of Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Vijay and Suriya who were present at the meeting to join hands with the project and make it a grand success and role-model for others.



Vellore Corporation Health Officer Dr Vasanth Divaakar who was the chief-guest at the function said that the Corporation had planned to construct a compound wall for a distance of 0.75 km dividing the burial ground and the Palar river. He said that the Corporation had been examining the tenders and the construction work would begin after finalization of the tenders. He further added that the Corporation had planned to introduce bio-gasifier to incinerate dead bodies in the 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, Chandrasekaran, Fans of Cine Actors Rajinikanth, Kamala Hassan, Vijay and Suriya and TN Hotel Owners Association Venkada Subbu and many other felicitated at the function.