Thoothukudi: Garbage in Thoothukudi bus stand was gathered at the bus bays and the conservancy workers of the municipal corporation too were not allowed to clear the litter that, according to the police, was aggregated in time for the Tamil Nadu governor, anwarilal Purohit to launch a 'Swachh' campaign here.
As the cleanliness drive was very much a part of the Governor's itinerary on Friday, Thoothukudi municipal officials had made all arrangements for him to participate in the cleanliness drive at the old bus stand, where the garbage was gathered and "literally guarded" at the bus bays both by the police and the municipal corporation officials. They along with a few NGO volunteers were waiting with brooms for more than an hour till 9.30 am.
The conservancy workers, who regularly clean the bus stand were made to wait in new uniform for the Governor to arrive with newly bought dustbins.
This scene reached its climax at 10.30 am, as Banwarilal Purohit arrived to make the bus stand litter-free. Along with the governor, Thoothukudi district collector, Sandeep Nanduri, Thoothukudi corporation commissioner, Alby John, also participated in the cleanliness drive.
Earlier, Sri Banwarilal Purohit visited the Thoothukudi corporation middle school at Sivanthakulam, where he advised students to keep their houses and surrounding clean. Adding that Mahatma Gandhi dreamt not just a free India, but also a clean and developed India, Tamil Nadu governor too said that it was the duty of every local citizen to make Thoothukudi one of the cleanest cities.
Later, between 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm the governor received petitions from the public. According to official sources, many of the petitions pertained to the Sterlite issue-both for andagainst the copper smelter plant.
Members of Tamil outfits too presented petitions seeking his immediate intervention for the release of convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassin case, while another group led by Congress advocate, Ayyalusamy placed their demand against the release of the seven convicts in that case.
