Date:01/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/01/stories/2009070150810200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Musical march for a clean initiative

Syed Muthahar Saqaf

Such cleanliness campaigns will
be organised at nine stations in Tiruchi division

— Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

Neat effort: S. Subramhanyan, Divisional Railway Manager, distributing pamphlets to passengers at Tiruchi Junction on Tuesday.

TIRUCHI: Passengers of the Madurai–Chennai Vaigai Express and other commuters who were present at Tiruchi Junction on Tuesday morning were in for a surprise; they witnessed an impressive procession of Scouts and Guides led by the top Railway officials to the accompaniment of band music on the first platform.

The procession drew the attention of the travelling public to the importance of maintaining tidiness of railway stations, the surroundings, and compartments, as part of the cleanliness campaign organised by the Tiruchi Railway Division.

Leading the procession, the Divisional Railway Manager, S. Subramhanyan distributed pamphlets brought out by the medical branch of the division along with students.

The pamphlets appealed to the commuters to extend a helping hand to the railways in maintaining cleanliness of their premises, urging them to use the bathrooms and toilets at the stations, avoid spitting and littering on the platforms, use toilets of the trains after they move out of the station, avoid smoking in the trains and in the stations, and desist from scattering food items in the stations.

The medical branch utilised the opportunity to create awareness on how malaria spreads through mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water.

The Scouts and Guides of the Railway Matriculation School run by the Southern Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation at Kallukuzhi and other schools in Tiruchi Railway Division carried placards and raised slogans seeking people’s support for the initiative of the Railways.

The Additional DRM, S. Ramasubbu; Chief Medical Superintendent, P. Veluswamy; Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, A. P. Muthuramalingam; Senior Divisional Medical Officer, Karthikeyan and other officials participated in the campaign.

Later, in an informal chat with press persons, Mr. Subramhanyan said such cleanliness campaigns would be organised at the nine ‘model’ and ‘modern’ stations in Tiruchi division – Tiruchi; Thanjavur, Villupuram, Vriddhachalam; Srirangam; Kumbakonam; Mayiladuturai; Nagapattinam and Puducherry – and in many other smaller stations as well. Similar campaigns organised in the past have evoked a good response from the public and helped in the clean maintenance of the stations.