Gram panchayat member steps in to clean drain in Shivamogga district

Alamelu was elected as gram panchayat member six months ago

When elected representatives give excuses for not implementing development works, Abbalagere gram panchayat member Alamelu has become a role model to others by cleaning the drain, on Monday.

She was elected as gram panchayat member six months ago. Though drain was filled with waste disrupting flow of water over the last one year, contract workers were not keen to clean it. So, she got into the drain with equipment and started cleaning it. Inspired by her initiative, workers joined hands with her and cleaned the drain.

She told DH that she owns one acre of land and it has been the source of livelihood for many years. "With the support of people, I was elected as gram panchayat member. Why should I hesitate to work for the welfare of people? I always wanted to keep the village clean. Each village was given grant of Rs 50,000 to clean drains. It was outsourced to workers in urban areas. But they were not keen to do it earlier. So I decided to clean the drain. Later, six workers joined the work."

Gram panchayat Development Officer Prema has hailed the initiative of Alamelu and said it has become a role model to people's representatives.

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