On Tuesday, students from several schools in West Bengal, India, cleared the litter that New Year revellers had thoughtlessly dumped on the greens in Maidan Park.

It was organised by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) with the help of NGOs. Senior Kolkata Police officers and personalities from various fields encouraged the children as they went about cleaning the city's lungs.

"Keeping the Maidan clean is an absolute must. We are a part of this environment and we want to show the way," said Varun Bajaj, a Class XI student of La Mart for Boys. "The Maidan must be cleaned of plastic waste and the authorities must ensure this," said Akshat Khemka, another student as they picked up garbage near Victoria Memorial.

Students from schools in the city's fringes also took part in the programme. "We feel proud to be associated with this eco-friendly mission," said Mithun Ghosh of Birati Mahajati Vidyamandir in North 24-Parganas as his friends Sayan Bal and Avijit Dey gave him the thumbs-up.

The WBPCB had also invited various organisations who were earlier fined for violating the plastic recycle usage rules, 1998. "We also want a complete ban on plastic bags less than 40 microns thick. But these bags continue to hit the market and almost everyone has made it a habit to use them," said Jagannath Ghosh, assistant secretary of Paschim Banga Mistanna Babosayi Samity.

"Using plastic bags below 40 microns cannot be tolerated as they are a major cause for waterlogging," said environment activist Banani Kakkar, the founder of PUBLIC, an NGO.

State environment department's law officer, Biswajit Mukherjee, said the programme was aimed at generating awareness to avoid using plastic and keep the Maidan clean. There will be more such awareness programmes, especially in tourist spots. The next one is in North Bengal.

(Source: Schoolkids clean up New Year litter on Maidan [Times of India])