Udupi may be model district in Swacch Bharat Mission: Addnl chief secy

State additional chief secretary Vijay Bhaskar said that the measures taken by Udupi district administration under Swacch Bharat Mission would be replicated in other parts of the state if found success.

He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating plantation of canna and terrace garden, a project that has been taken up under Swacch Bharat Mission at Horticulture Department, here on Tuesday. He said the Udupi district is a role model to all other districts in the state as it has initiated Swacch Bharat Mission programme extensively. The canna plantation will prove beneficial as the plants grow absorbing moisture and the leftover mulch will be cleaned by the bacteria present in the organic waste. He said that the rural areas will be more useful for growing the canna plants which would suck the sewage water and the discharging of the effluents into the solid waste management plants will be drastically reduced.

He said that by growing the canna plants there will be greenery all over. He lauded the efforts taken by the district administration to ensure the district to be garbage-free by October 2, 2018.

He urged the people who are trained in the process to spread awareness all over the district and ensure that there is effective management of solid and liquid waste which can be transformed into a resource, he said.

He inaugurated the canna plant bed as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis said the bed comprises more than 500 canna plants. In another two to three months, the department would be able to supply the plants to all rural areas. The plants have the speciality of quick growth as the mother plants can breed five shoots before death at a time. These shoots grow and multiply, which would ensure enormous growth of the plants. These plants are helpful for the environment besides absorbing the unwanted water, she added.

The Green Piece India project coordinator Vellore Srinivasan said that there are many uses of the plants as the plant has big-sized leaves which can be used for the domestic purposes. He said earth worms will also be dropped into the drainage channel so that after the absorption of effluent waste by canna plants, the earth worms will feed on the remnants ensuring cleanliness even at the bottom, he said.