Addressing the gathering at a function organised today by the Coonoor Municipality, to mark the successful completion of Phase-II Fencing of the Coonoor River, the District Collector Ms. Innocent Divya in her presidential speech, referred to the observances as a ‘Community Initiative Celebration.’ She lauded the roles played by ISPRAVA HOMES in fencing up part of the river to prevent dumping of waste, and the NGO Clean Coonoor for their role in cleaning it.
It should be recalled that on the occasion of ‘World Environment Day’ which fell on 5 June 2019, the campaign to clean the middle stream of the Coonoor River which flows by Krishnapuram and V. P. Street of the Coonoor Municipality, was initiated through the persistent and untiring efforts of the District Collector. This decision was made after taking into consideration the amount of garbage and soil that had been dumped into the it over the years, and the environmental impacts. The continuous dumping had made the flow tepid the point of stagnation.
The task of clearing up the debris was entrusted to the local NGO, ‘Clean Coonoor.’ The entire exercise lasted over 42 working days and involved both mechanical and manual means. A total of 8000 metric tonnes of silt and trash of all description was excavated and shifted away during the operations.
Furthermore it was again the continued effort of the District Collector which led to the erection of a 7-9 foot high and 398 metre long fence stretching from the municipal Market to V. P. Street. The fence has been built to act as a deterrent against future dumping. The construction cost which amounted to Rs 7 lakhs has been entirely borne by the Mumbai based firm ‘ISPARAVA HOMES,’ as part of its ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ activities.
Ms Divya went on to state that the township of Coonoor had always been noted for the zeal shown in community participation. Laying stress on the need for a sense of ownership of community assets for any society to progress, she went on to state that ISPRAVA HOMES and Clean Coonoor had both set the trend in the right direction.
This they had done by concentrating their efforts on the wellbeing of water sources and waterways, both being vital resources to the future welfare of humanity. She also added that the need of the hour was sustainable development, and development at the expense of the environment was unacceptable. She reiterated that any sort of encroachments on watercourses will in no way be tolerated.
Mr Dharshan Shah, Chairman, ISPRAVA HOMES made a brief explanation about the fencing project, and the firm’s commitment on Eco-friendly building projects.
Mr. Nadir Godrej, Managing Director of Godrej Industries, in his special address, stated that we aren’t powerless against climate change which can be battled through green initiatives, and that the current trend can be reversed.
Earlier Dr J. Ragunathan, the Municipal Health Officer of Coonoor welcomed the gathering, and the vote of thanks was proposed by social activist, Mr Sumant Bakshi.