THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government plans to convert around 3,000 garbage dump sites across the state into clean-and-green Sneharamam parks by year-end.
The Higher Education Department will tie up with the National Service Scheme (NSS) to carry out the ambitious plan.
The project, conceived under the Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam campaign, will begin on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti. Local self-government institutions (LSGIs) and the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) will first identify the garbage dump sites that can be converted into parks.
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Once the LSGIs give their approval, the cleanup projects will be carried out by local units of the NSS, a public service program under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs. Suchitwa Mission, the technical waste-management support group under the Department of Local Self Government, will provide Rs 5,000 for the setting up of each unit of Sneharamam.
The money will be disbursed to NSS through LSGIs on completion of each unit. Additional funds, if necessary, can be sourced locally, including through sponsors.
Besides raising green strips, parks, or gardens after cleaning the garbage dump sites, NSS volunteers can use their artistic creativity to make installations from local waste. The entire project is slated to conclude by December 31, 2023, and the Sneharamams will be dedicated on New Year’s Day 2024. The NSS will carry out their subsequent maintenance.
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Civic body representatives, NSS program officers, unit secretaries, and officials of Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam will meet this week to chart out the modalities of their projects. By September 30, the civic bodies will submit an official form carrying the details of the garbage heaps in their area, besides their plans to convert them into Sneharamams.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on May 3, 2023, announced a three-phase Malinyamuktham Nava Keralam campaign with a view to finding a lasting solution to waste management issues in the State by March 2024. In an interaction with people’s representatives from local bodies across the State as well as Secretaries of various departments, he said that all government departments will have a role to play in ensuring that Kerala becomes waste-free.