Mysore/Mysuru: In a bid to keep the city clean and tidy during the entire Dasara festivities, MCC has launched a public awareness campaign at all venues of Dasara events going on in city, focusing on the importance of maintaining health and hygiene.

Addressing a press meet at MCC office here on Wednesday, MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy said that the campaign was launched on Sept. 24 and will go on till Oct. 5.

Pointing out that the campaign features staging of street plays, Rangoli drawings, wall mural paintings, painting competitions for children etc., he said that the MCC staff and volunteers will visit all Dasara programme venues and distribute pamphlets.

“About 245 Pourakarmikas have been deployed for road cleaning works, while 120 contract Pourakarmikas are deputed to Dasara programme venues for maintenance of cleanliness. Also, 62 garbage autos, 18 Compactors and a cleaning machine  are  engaged for the purpose. This apart, more than 20 mobile toilets have been stationed at necessary points,” he said adding that garbage collection is going on periodically so as to ensure that there is no stockpile of wastes.

Lakshmikantha Reddy further said that street plays will be enacted at two Food Mela venues, at Kuppanna Park and near Chikkagadiyara (Dufferin Clock Tower) on Sept. 30. This apart, the public walls around Ramaswamy Circle will be painted with murals as part of the awareness campaign, he added.

He further said that a ‘Swachhata Shramadan’ will take place at the foot of Chamundi Hill at 6 am on the morning of Oct. 2 and a painting contest for school children will be held at Town Hall at 8 am on Oct. 2. The competition is held under two categories — 5 to 10 years and 10 to 15 years, he said adding that the respective BEOs have been entrusted with the responsibility of selecting school children for the contest. He also said that  about 10 to 15 MCC Pourakarmikas who are on the verge of retirement from service, will be accorded a civic honour after Oct.7.

A poster on the cleanliness campaign was released on the occasion.

Referring to the asphalting of roads, the MCC Commissioner said that 18 prominent roads of the city are being asphalted under MCC grants. Maintaining that the asphalting of 15 roads has already been completed, he said that the ongoing works on N.S. Road, Azeez Sait Road and New Kantharaj Urs Road will soon be completed.