People urged to prioritise hygiene, cleanliness in surroundings
He was speaking at the 'Swachhta Pakhwada' programme organised jointly by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Visakh Refinery and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC).
Flagging off the Swachh raths along with HPCL Visakh Refinery executive director (VR) Ramesh Krishnan and CGM-HR Ganta Kiran Kumar, the Commissioner said that in line with the vision of Swachh Bharat, Swarna Andhra - Swachh Andhra, and Swachh Visakha, the 15-day-long Swachhta Pakhwada programme will continue till July 15.
Among other programmes, awareness drives on cleanliness in city surroundings, plastic control, distribution of cloth bags, environmental protection and urban development are focused and they serve as an inspiration to all, the Commissioner underlined.
Appreciating the HPCL Visakh Refinery officials for organising these programmes with a sense of social responsibility, the Commissioner suggested them to adopt the Malkapuramarea under their corporate social responsibility initiative and come forward to develop parks, roads, street lighting, centre medians, beautification and other infrastructure.
He assured that the GVMC would provide technical support required for it. Further, he suggested setting up a permanent stall in the HPCL Malkapuram area or nearby colonies to make eco-friendly alternatives to plastic products easily accessible to the public.
The Commissioner appealed to the people of Visakhapatnam to prioritise hygiene and cleanliness in their surroundings as every small habit could bring about a big change in protecting the city's environment.
Later, executive director (VR) Ramesh Krishnan stated that eight Swachh raths have been deployed across all GVMC zones for publicity, along with four street-play teams and a puppet show team to create awareness among people.
The street play teams performed plays conveying messages on cleanliness and environmental protection, encouraging use of alternatives to single-use plasticitems.
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