CM conducts aerial survey to clean up city

CHENNAI: In what could be a significant step in the journey towards turning Chennai into a clean metropolis, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday conducted an aerial survey of the city and its suburbs. The evaluation is part of efforts to remove solid waste, including plastics, from the city.That the CM chose to do an aerial survey for a civic issue — perhaps for the first time anywhere — reflects the significance she attaches to the conservation of the ecosystem, which is key to sustaining the environmental balance. On Thursday, the government said it was going all out to impose a ban on the use of plastic carrybags of less than 60 micron thickness as a critical step towards environmental protection.In the budget, Rs 5 crore was allotted for undertaking a mass drive to clean up and dispose of accumulated plastic waste in the State. Also, Rs50 crore was allotted for the Environment Protection Fund. The fund will be used to support local bodies for relaying roads using plastic waste collected as part of a pilot project.Walking the talk on the government promises to protect environment, Jayalalithaa flew over garbage dumping yards to assess their condition.In an official release, the government said it was fully committed to nurturing the environment by properly disposing of solid waste. “Steps have been taken to make the clean-up effort a state-wide movement.”