Nagapattinam: A massive garbage dump yard in the temple town of Vaitheeswaran Kovil now sports a new look with lush green surrounding. If determination is coupled with passion, even a barren tract could be converted into an oasis. That is what Parameswari, a sanitary worker has accomplished. Interestingly, she is not a native of the town but had settled down after landing there to take up the contract employment in the civic body along with her husband.
The couple lives in a corner of the dump yard as they could not afford rented accommodation in their meagre income. Well, that has not deterred Parameswari’s passion and the result is for everyone to see.
It was a wasteland turned into a garbage dump and Parameswari used to gaze at the mounds of civic waste from one of the corner. However, she didn’t feel desolate but rather found an opportunity to practice farming and began farming in a corner. And now, she has transformed the place!
Parameswari and her husband, both are daily wage contract labourers with the Vaitheeswaran Kovil Town Panchayat and her husband is doubling up as the watchman of the dump yard where waste is segregated and recycled into organic fertilizer. The Executive Officer of the civic body had permitted the couple to stay at the dump yard since there was a need for a watchman.
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Settling down in a dump yard did not dampen her spirit. For, in the vast expanse of uncultivable land, she decided to do a bit of gardening, planting trees and a little bit of farming.
“I was always interested in farming and planting trees. One day, I was struck by the idea as to why the wasteland here should not be cultivated. The very next day, I took a spade and levelled a small area. Then, I sowed maize, which would require very little water. After completing my daily routine at the town panchayat, I devoted my time to water the plants. Soon they were ready for harvest,” she said with a smile written large on her face.
Encouraging her work, the Executive officer provided her with an electric fan.
Now, she has earned the attention of Tamil Nadu Local Administration Minister SP Velumani, who appreciated her sincerity and perseverance.
“Parameswari is a living example for the old adage – ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. Passion and determination have ensured her success,” the minister said in a tweet while congratulating on the success.
