Take Care Take Charge

Ref: The TCTC Campaign in TOI dated 5th June 2011.

As a concerned and worried citizen of this planet, this issue has been one of my pet projects over the years. I am a medical practitioner and also run my own Primary school of children between the ages of 3 - 12 years. In my  own small way, I have thought about the ways I could help, by inculcating an awareness and concern about the many hazards that threaten to desecrate the environment, in the minds of the youngsters under my care and their parents and elders, to attempt bringing about some change in attitudes and awareness about our collective and individual duties. Children constitute the world's most vital natural resource.

It is very easy to sit back and discuss the issue (as all other issues), condemn and criticize the situations, pile blame on some unseen higher forces- our parents, teachers, neighbours, administration, ministers .. even the almighty! One thing that I have realized is, that we Indians are adept at doing all-of-the-above, but singularly lacking in taking initiative and lifting a finger to actually strive to solve the issues. Unless we "get something out of it". Or there is fear of punishment- be it fines and penalties, or curtailment of any of our rights.

I am really happy to see the campaign "Take Care, Take Charge" that you have launched. I would love to join them in their endeavor.

There are two headings under which I would offered my suggestions:

[A] Waste & Pollution Management 

[B]Creating Green Spaces

For both, I proposed that a new group is launched countrywide, called PPP (Project People Participation)

People working in this group in every city of India, should be either volunteers (offered some incentives), freshly enrolled employees on a payroll, or media people detailed on a permanent basis to work for the campaign.

Some suggestions are:

[A] Waste & Pollution Management :Towns are divided into Residential and Commercial areas.

 Residents of residential complexes / shopkeepers take charge of the roads/street/park/crossroad in their vicinity and become responsible for everything that needs to be done to keep the area clean and beautified. Planting a tree where possible, installing covered dustbins, arranging to have them cleaned daily, training the guards of showrooms to prevent people spitting/urinating/defiling the area in any way- would be their task. For this, incentives could be offered, in compliance with the local civic authorities and the Municipalities (as is done in the cantonments). Some incentives may be lower electricity rates for the area/ lower taxes (shop tax, water tax, etc). The area would be reviewed by the PPP officials every 5th of June (Environment Day) and the incentives continued or revoked according to their survey. In a few years, the awareness will spread in all people, and the project may run automatically. 

Also, any high-handed ugly money-making projects started by the civic authorities or their contractors, if unacceptable to the residents/shopkeepers, should be questioned/stopped by their contingents meeting the DM of the town.This will ensure the human resources of every town actually bringing about the change they wish to see.

Another incentive, easily providable by the local print media, would be a Page 3 of sorts, where coverage with photographs and interviews, is given on a daily / weekly basis, area by area. 

[B] Creating Green Spaces: Areas could be pre-determined by the local civic authorities, centrally and in pockets of habitation. Colony compost pits could be dug with the involvement of the residents, and free manure made available from time to time. . thus encouraging people to throw all biodegradable waste into it. Page 3 of local newspapers could carry slogans and advertisements of the marked spaces, for the people to plant trees in the names of each person born or died in their families (an aluminium name tab provided to attach to the tree), as also after every wedding. Possibly, representatives of the Department of Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages could have an office there, and make this task easy for the public, which, in itself, would ensure more people's participation. Their pictures could be covered in the Page 3 of the papers, as further incentive.

Schools could be involved, with teachers and children holding drives for tree-planting and banning the use of polythene. Incentive for the schools could again involve lower electricity rates/ media exposure/ free advertisements in the said papers/etc.

What do you think? Please do send in your suggestions too. Every little step may just help save the planet.