Correspondent
Kohima, OCT 27 (NPN): Kohima College and TM Government Higher Secondary School (TM GHSS), Kohima, jointly launched a “Litter Free Campus” initiative at a programme held at Kohima College on Tuesday, aimed at promoting cleanliness, responsible waste disposal and a culture of environmental responsibility among students and faculty.
Principal of TM GHSS, Kelhikha Kenye, said the initiative went beyond a routine cleanliness drive and represented a shared commitment to maintaining clean, healthy and pleasant campuses. He said the initiative sought to shift the mindset from leaving cleanliness to others to recognising it as an individual responsibility.
Kenye said the initiative would encourage students and staff of both institutions to dispose of waste only in designated bins, segregate waste at source, refrain from littering and discourage others from doing so.
He said a clean campus reflected institutional discipline and created a positive impression on visitors. He added that a clean environment would contribute to a better learning atmosphere.
Calling on students and faculty to actively uphold the initiative, Kenye urged them to take responsibility for picking up litter whenever they came across it and placing it in designated bins. He said signage and adequate waste bins had been installed across both campuses to facilitate proper waste disposal.
Kohima College principal Dr. Vitsosie Vupru described the joint initiative as the first of its kind and possibly the country, with two educational institutions coming together to maintain litter-free campuses.
He observed that while individual institutions had been taking measures to keep their premises clean, the collaboration between the two institutions marked a significant step towards collective responsibility. He stressed that institutions and individuals could not expect others to keep their surroundings clean if they were unwilling to take the initiative themselves.
Referring to the Swachhta pledge taken during the programme, Vupru urged students and faculty to translate their commitment into action and become ambassadors of cleanliness. He encouraged them to extend the initiative beyond their campuses by promoting litter-free surroundings wherever they went.
Vupru also lauded Kenye for conceptualising the initiative and acknowledged the cleanliness efforts of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan team of Kohima College.
The programme was chaired by Dr. Tenosenuo Angami, associate professor and convenor of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Kohima College, while the vote of thanks was proposed by Er. Khriezosietuo Suohu, vice-principal of TM GHSS.