Mayor Priya launches Namma Chennai Namma Poruppu campaign at Marina Beach

CHENNAI: The Marina sands, which are anything but clean, thanks to the thousands thronging the beach every day, got freshened up on Saturday with thousands lending hands to the cleanup drive organised by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

Launching the campaign – Namma Chennai Namma Poruppu and Namma Marina Namma Perumai – Mayor R Priya emphasized that efforts will be made to transform such initiatives from individual efforts to collective movement to bring about social change.

The drive, which was also participated in by the Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development, saw around 5,000 participants from the National Rural Development Programme (NRDP), students, and volunteers from the general public scan the beach for trash, picking up discarded plastic, used clothes, and other leftovers.

The participants were also encouraged to take photos of them collecting litter and sharing them on social media tagging Chennai Corporation's official X account and using hashtags #CleanMarina, #NammaChennai, and #NammaPoruppu. "The aim was to inspire the public to take responsibility in keeping the city clean," said an official release from the Ripon Building.

Mayor Priya also stressed the critical role the youth can play in creating a cleaner, greener Chennai. "Already, the civic body is carrying out awareness campaigns through musical concerts. The mass cleanup drive was aimed at giving the campaign a further push," she said.

GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran, regional deputy commissioner (central) KJ Praveen Kumar, city health officer Dr M Jagadeesan, ward councillors and senior officials of the Chennai corporation were among those to take part in the event.