This story is from March 28, 2016

Noyyal restoration drive has to be citizen-driven: Anna Hazare

Anti-corruption crusader urged Coimbatoreans on his recent visit to the city
Noyyal restoration drive has to be citizen-driven: Anna Hazare
It looked like a carnival of sorts at Kooduthurai in Alandurai on Saturday when anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and actor Suriya came down for the inauguration of the Noyyal river restoration programme, Noyyalai Nokki. The project is an effort to restore the 162-km long river, which is the lifeline of Coimbatore to its former glory.
Speaking on the occasion, the 78-year-old social activist said, “There was a time when Noyyal river had water gushing from it and farmers were a happy lot.
Now, people have dumped garbage in the river and this has stopped the flow of the water. I have come here to revive the water source. Rivers are god’s gifts and it’s our responsibility to protect the water source. The public, industrialists, NGOs and the government should come together for the cause.”
Anna also predicted a war for water in the future. “There will be a fight for water. Brothers will fight, districts will fight and states will fight with each other. That’s why it’s crucial to make the Noyyal restoration drive citizen-driven. I want to come here after two years after Noyyal is restored.”
When asked if he had an action plan for Noyyal revival, Hazare said, “We need to build check dams at various places. In Ralegaon Siddhi (the model village for sustainable development in Maharashtra), for every one rupee that the government spends, villagers donate 20 percent of their earnings. They also offer shramdaan (hardwork) every month. The same can be followed in Coimbatore. This will instill a sense of responsibility in people. Also, we need to bring pollution under control, which has devastating effect on the environment.”
He added that youngsters should make social responsibility and seva, a part of their life. “When I was 25 years old, I was quite inspired by Swami Vivekananda and his seva. I wanted to follow suit. If I had gotten married, I would have spent my life providing bread and butter to the family. So, I chose not to marry. However, don’t follow me. Youngsters should get married and have a family. This will help us get more people for jan seva (public service). Today, I am 78 years old and I still want to serve the country. It’s been 40 years I went home. I don’t know the name of my brother’s children. I stay in a temple. But, the whole country is my family."
Actor Suriya, who spoke on the occasion said, “It was only three months ago that Chennai was flooded with water, courtesy the floods. But, now people are waiting in queue for water. It’s important to protect water bodies. Just like the public came together for the revival of Periakulam, I hope they come together for the restoration of Noyyal as well. We need to be have faith that we are going to revive the river.”
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA