LITTLE HARBINGERS OF CLEAN LUCKNOW
MORNING MOTIVATION Young campaigners of Study Hall urge residents to hand over garbage only to LMC staff
Doorbells began to ring in Viram Khand early on Monday. Guests were young campaigners of Study Hall Educational Foundation, who went door-to-door motivating people for proper disposal of garbage. Part of the Hindustan Times ‘My City My Pride’ campaign for a clean Lucknow, the students urged people to hand over daily garbage only to LMC collectors to ensure it is disposed of properly and not just thrown anywhere.
Viram Khand of Gomti Nagar was abuzz with activity on Monday morning as the young campaigners of Study Hall Educational Foundation went door to door, motivating people for proper disposal of garbage.
As part of Hindustan Times’ ‘My City, My Pride’ campaign for a clean Lucknow, the students urged people to give their daily garbage to the municipal corporation staff to ensure that the waste is disposed of through the proper channel every day.
Beginning around 8:30 am, the exercise by the students along with their teacher escorts continued for nearly an hour. Even as the sun got brighter, the students did not mind covering more homes to rope in more people for the cause.
The ‘clean campaigners’ took signatures from nearly 100-odd households in the vicinity of their school as a promise that the residents would hand over their garbage only to the LMC garbage vehicles and not to any other local unauthorised agencies.
“The signed forms will be submitted to the LMC, which has already consented to send Jyoti Envirotech’s garbage van to the locality every day for garbage collection. The waste collected would be segregated and disposed of appropriately,” said Shalini Sinha, principal of Study Hall.
The contact numbers of LMC officials concerned were also provided to the residents so that they could contact them directly whenever the garbage collection vehicle doesn’t turn up in the area. Overwhelmed to see young volunteers taking the clean city campaign forward, Hari Shankar Pandey, an advocate and resident of the area said, “I give full support to the young ones who have taken the lead in getting the area cleaned.”
Another resident, Anant Johri, who welcomed the young campaigners with cold drinks and chocolates for the novel initiative, too assisted the students in reaching out to more residents of the area and getting their signatures for the cause.
The residents complained that they were being charged Rs 60 per month for garbage collection. They said no authorised agency undertook garbage collection work and waste was being picked up from one spot and dumped in the other part of the locality. And this was leading to filth and garbage piling up on the roadsides.
Gauri Singh of Class 8, who was out in the sun to motivate people about appropriate disposal of waste, said: “People are generally unaware about the channel through which the garbage should go. But our teachers have told us how important it is to ensure that the waste is recycled and that’s what we are trying to make residents of the area understand.”
Even while a majority extended a warm welcome to the students and gave them a patient hearing, some even seemed reluctant initially. However, the enthusiastic students managed to win all hearts and succeeded in convincing people to give their daily garbage to the LMC staff only.
Tanmay Anand, a student of Class 7, shared: “When we knocked at the doors initially, servants told us that there was no one in the house and we should leave. But we requested them to get us in touch with the house owners and when they came, they extended support.”
Avantika Kalra, a student of class 8 said, “An aunty was surprised when I told her that the daily garbage in the house could be used as manure if properly composted. I also told her about segregation of waste to ensure its correct disposal.”