Mysuru: There are few surer ways of reaching a wide section of the demographic than through kids and adolescents, and the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) appears to have latched on to the idea, and as part of its efforts to reclaim its spot on the top of the rankings under the Swachh Survekshan , the civic agency has decided to set up ‘Parisara Clubs’ wherein both teachers and students are participants to raise awareness about cleanliness . The launch of the new initiative comes days after the MCC deployed a massive brigade of pourakarmikas to collect waste from all households, and to clean the streets. This exercise was followed by disposal of waste in designated landfills, and processing of the same in a scientific manner.The first team of inspectors under Swachh Survekshan has arrived in the city, and the assessment of Mysuru’s cleanliness has begun. The inspectors are visiting individual households, talking to citizens to collect feedback and assessing the conditions at the waste processing plants. Besides shoring up activities relating to cleanliness, officials of the civic agency have been reaching out to various communities – auto drivers, shopowners, etc., — to raise awareness about the survey. Now, they have turned their attention to the students, who they believe can take the message of cleanliness to their respective homes and make their parents aware of the need to preserve a hygienic environment.MCC health officer DG Nagaraju told TOI that the ‘Parisara Clubs’ had been formed in around 500 schools in the city including government, aided and unaided schools. “Students initiated at the club will be able to hold awareness programmes in their neighbourhoods. They will also be assigned projects related to the campaign,” said Nagaraju.Nagaraju pointed out that students of Vidya Vardhaka Sangha, Kuvempunagar performed a street play on the perils of plastic, while other schools held ‘Sramadhana’-related activities. On the other hand, schools such as Kautilya Vidyalaya have adopted entire localities, which they have given a facelift to.Nagaraju pointed out that each school was holding awareness rallies to educate students, and acknowledged the encouraging response to MCC’s initiatives.Headmaster of Vidya Vardhaka Sangha N Ramesh told TOI, “I wrote the lyrics for songs that were performed as part of the stage play our students performed. As part of our efforts to promote cleanliness, we have asked students to refrain from distributing chocolates on their birthdays, and are instead encouraging them to plant saplings.”Appreciating the MCC for the many initiatives it has launched for a clean Mysuru, Ramesh exuded confident of the city reclaiming its position as the cleanest city in India.

Stay updated with all the Latest Mysore headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.