With less than a week for Deepavali - the festival of lights - the campaign for a cracker-free festival is expected to get louder. Even as traders here have started putting up stalls at key locations for selling firecrackers, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is all set to launch “Say no to firecrackers” campaign in schools from Monday.
For the next five days, KSPCB is planning to meet hundreds of schoolchildren at their respective schools and spread the message of a safe and cracker-free festival besides educating them on the hazards of bursting firecrackers. KSPCB Environment Officer Raghuram told The Hindu that children will be asked to take oath during their morning assembly session on celebrating the festival without bursting firecrackers. “The response we got from students during the previous years was overwhelming ....,” he said. More than 15 to 20 schools in Mysuru city will be covered during the course of the week, he added.
Mr. Raghuram said KSPCB had received a positive response when it had carried out a similar campaign here recently by joining hands with the students of GSSS Engineering College. “Awareness has been created among the people ... we need to wait for the festival to conclude to see the actual results,” he added.
KPSCB had conducted street plays to spread its “Say no to firecrackers” message in the previous years. To make the campaign even more interesting, KPSCB had also conducted magic shows with the theme “firecrackers” in schools. A documentary film had been produced to highlight the harmful effects of bursting firecrackers and CDs were distributed in schools in Mysuru and other taluks in the previous years.
For the next five days, KSPCB is planning to meet hundreds of schoolchildren at their respective schools and spread the message of a safe and cracker-free festival besides educating them on the hazards of bursting firecrackers. KSPCB Environment Officer Raghuram told The Hindu that children will be asked to take oath during their morning assembly session on celebrating the festival without bursting firecrackers. “The response we got from students during the previous years was overwhelming ....,” he said. More than 15 to 20 schools in Mysuru city will be covered during the course of the week, he added.
Mr. Raghuram said KSPCB had received a positive response when it had carried out a similar campaign here recently by joining hands with the students of GSSS Engineering College. “Awareness has been created among the people ... we need to wait for the festival to conclude to see the actual results,” he added.
KPSCB had conducted street plays to spread its “Say no to firecrackers” message in the previous years. To make the campaign even more interesting, KPSCB had also conducted magic shows with the theme “firecrackers” in schools. A documentary film had been produced to highlight the harmful effects of bursting firecrackers and CDs were distributed in schools in Mysuru and other taluks in the previous years.