12 tonnes of waste discarded around Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple removed

Over 12 tonnes of waste discarded by the devotees during the ‘Aadi amaavaasai’ festival of Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple situated inside the Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve was removed on Saturday, thanks to the massive cleaning operation organized by the district administration after the 5-day-long celebrations.

Over 12 tonnes of waste discarded by the devotees during the ‘Aadi amaavaasai’ festival of Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple situated inside the Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve was removed on Saturday, thanks to the massive cleaning operation organized by the district administration after the 5-day-long celebrations.

 Led by District Collector K.P. Karthikeyan, 670 persons collected the waste, mostly paper, use-and-throw plates, and plastic covers, discarded by the devotees even though garbage bins in sufficient numbers had been kept around the temple. The festival attracts over a lakh devotees from various parts of southern Tamil Nadu for ‘Aadi amaavaasai’ festival every year.

 A total of 175 NCC cadets and NSS volunteers from Thiruvalluvar College, Papanasam, Ambai Government Arts College, Sri Paramakalyani College, Alwarkurichi, Rani Anna Government Women’s College, Pettai and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, 95 policemen from Manimuthar 9th Battalion, 290 sanitary workers from various panchayat unions, Ambasamudram and Vickramasingapuram municipalities and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department, 55 forest committee members, 35 disaster management volunteers and officials from police, fire and rescue services and forest departments participated in the mega cleaning operation.

 “The day-long exercise has ensured clearing of over 12 tonnes of waste left behind by the devotees around the place of worship. Since this temple is situated inside the tiger sanctuary, removing the waste immediately after the celebrations is important considering the wellbeing of the wild animals and the conservation of pristine nature here,” said Dr. Karthikeyan.

 Even though the district administration had created temporary toilets around the shrine and repeated appeals were made to the visitors to use the 200-odd toilets created there, open defecation by the devotees has seriously polluted the sanctuary and the Tamirabharani as usual. As this region experiences decent showers after ‘Aadi amaavaasai’ celebrations every year, the badly polluted areas get cleansed by the rain to some extent.

 Unfortunately, it did not happen this year making the situation really tough for those who cleaned the garbage around the temple.

 Sub-Collector, Cheranmahadevi, Mohammed Shabbir Alam, Commandant of Manimuthar 9th Battalion Karthikeyan, Joint Commissioner of HR and CE Department Kavitha Priyadharshini, Tahsildar, Disaster Management Selvan and Tasildar of Cheranmahadevi Sumathi participated in the cleaning operation.