more-in Ramanathapuram A human chain, pledge on Swachch Bharat Mission, and awareness campaign for ‘Green Rameswaram’ marked a series of programmes organised on the eve of the birth anniversary of former president APJ Abdul Kalam in Rameswaram on Sunday. Union Minister for State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan joined hands with schoolchildren and general public, forming the human chain and took a pledge along with Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao and BJP leaders Suba Nagarajan and K. Muraleedharan on Swachch Bharat Mission in front of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam National Memorial at Pei Karumbu in Rameswaram. Later, Minister for Information Technology M. Manikandan addressed a function, presided over by Mr Rao and organised by the island development committee at Goswami Mutt. The programmes were organised to spread awareness for maintaining clean roads, green accommodations, pious pilgrimage and preserve cultural identities, the organisers said. The district administration has formed the island development committee to keep the island, visited by pilgrims from all over the world, clean and green, they said. Mr Manikandan released books on ‘Ilakkiyathil Rameswaram’ (Rameswaram in Literature) and ‘Rameswaram theerthangalin Sirappugal’ (Speciality of venerated waterbodies in Rameswaram). Later, the Minister handed over ‘posters’ to the residents of Mangadu and Thattankudiiruppu villages, marking the dedication of the newly established Reverse Osmosis (RO) unit in Mangadu and Air Quality Monitoring Device at Thattankudiiruppu to the people. Addressing the function, Mr Manikandan said as part of the efforts to maintain cleanliness in the island, instructions have been issued to the officials to close down all the prawn farms, which polluted the ground water sources. Regional Director, Municipal Administration, Madurai, Janaki, Project Director, DRDA Getzi Leema Amalini, Vivekananda Kendra Vice President A Balakrishnan, Assistant Director, Panchayats A Chelladurai and District Tourist Officer Marudhupandian were among others present at the function.

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