The Free Press Journal (FPJ) recently highlighted in its exclusive news dated December 2, "Garbage woes: 12-year-old fights the gram panchayat to keep her school clean" about a tale of 12-year-old Aaditi Sawant who fought the gram panchayat authorities single-handedly and protested against the garbage depot placed near her school.
Acting upon the published news by FPJ, the gram panchayat authorities immediately started the clean-up drive near the school that had been surrounded by garbage for many years.
Aaditi Sawant | Sourced
Aaditi's protest and her pleas, post FPJ highlighting her woes, that is, relocating the garbage depot elsewhere, were considered seriously by the gram panchayat.
An elated Aaditi, the catalyst for change, said, "I am happy that the gram panchayat heard our woes and acted upon it. We can now study and play peacefully without worrying about the stench, mosquitoes and street dogs around our school."
Aadti and her classmates | FPJ
Expressing pride in the students' initiative, a school teacher remarked, "I am proud that our students stepped forward and protested against the garbage dumping near the school. Following their protest, the gram panchayat has initiated the clean-up, and we hope all the waste gets transferred soon to an alternative place."
When asked about the clean-up drive, a gram panchayat official said, "We assure the community that garbage dumping near the school will be stopped soon. Appropriate machinery and containers for efficient waste collection too have been allotted at the place. We are now looking for alternative locations for dumping the garbage. Hopefully, there will not be any threat to the environment and the residents in the near future."
Other students who supported Aaditi in her protest shared, "Finally, we can enjoy our break without holding our noses! Aditi did an amazing job. It's great that we don't have to worry about garbage near our classrooms. We can focus on our studies better now."
Vishal Waikar, a resident of Kunjirwadi, expressed his joy, "We are truly delighted that the gram panchayat has taken action and initiated the clean-up work. We are also making efforts to raise awareness among people about the importance of segregating wet and dry waste. This practice proves helpful in the proper disposal of garbage."
