Students take up the task of cleaning town as civic body slumbers

Palanpur, Gujarat, Aug 30 (UNI) Local college students here have taken up the onerous task of cleaning up the town following the negligence shown by the civic body here.

The local civic body is beset with problems and half-a-dozen of its officials, including president Ashok Thakore, are either in jail or absconding on corruption charges.

''We propose to take the civic body to the court for neglecting its duties,'' the students said. The students have also thretened to launch an agitation if the civic body failed to wake up.

The voluntary service by the students has been widely appreciated by the residents. ''We are thankful to the students,'' an elderly housewife Sushilaben said.

''Time and again we have approached the civic chief officer but he has expressed helplessness citing lack of equipments,'' the students said while pointing out that, after the recent rains, several localities were faced with clogged gutters and slush, and the fear of rain-related diseases was looming large.

Mr D M Dave, prinicpal in a local arts college, informed that the students had placed dust bins every 100 metres.

UNI