In compliance with the Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India and Geological Survey of India, Central HQ, Kolkata guidelines, State Unit Tamil Nadu & Puducherry organised a Swachhata Special Campaign 4.0 at the Geo-heritage site, Thiruvakkarai National Fossil Wood Park, Villupuram District, on 25-10-2024.  Shri. B Ajaya Kumar, Dy. Director General inaugurated the Swachhata event along with Shri. SN Mariappan, Director & Head of Office, Shri. G Nagendran, Director (TC), Shri. SB Vijay Kumar (Mission-II), Director, Shri. T Esakkimuthu, Director (Parks & Museum), Shri. Pralay Mukherjee, Director (Mission-III), Shri. RV Vairavan, Director & Nodal Officer (Swachhata Special Campaign 4.0), Shri. S Jayapal, Director & Nodal Officer (Legal), along the officers and staff from GSI: SU TNP Chennai. Shri. Vinod Kumar, Under Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India graced the function as guest of honour. Shri. Janardhan, District Tourism Officer, Villupuram District, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Shri. Venkateswaralu, Assistant Head Master and students of Thiruvakkarai High School, Smt. Mohana Ramachandran, Panchayat President, Thiruvakkarai Village, People from Press and Janitors and people of Thiruvakkarai village participated in the event enthusiastically.

During the inaugural address, Shri. B Ajaya Kumar, DDG, SU: TNP, Chennai highlighted the determination taken by the honourable Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi towards the cleanliness initiatives all over India through public servants. The initiative of the Government to conduct this cleanliness drive programme through all the functioning Ministries and Departments is to create awareness among the public by being the change we wish to see in our country.  He conveyed that, according to Mahatma Gandhiji “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony”, hence we should practice this swatchhta Abhiyan and get it imbibed for generation to generation.

Shri. B Ajaya Kumar, DDG added that since the induction of Swachhata Campaign by the Govt. of India and Ministry of Mines, the Geological Survey of India is actively participating and organising various Swatchhta hi Sewa and Swatchhta special drives at its office, public places and geo-heritage sites.  This programme of cleaning the Geo-heritage site will attract more tourists and this will inspire people on significance of keeping their surrounding environment clean. Shri. B Ajaya Kumar, DDG, further briefly explained the importance of this geo-heritage site and the contributions taken by the Geological Survey of India with respect to its mapping and mineral exploration projects. He expressed his sincere gratitude to Shri. VL Kanta Rao, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Shri. Asit Saha, Director General, GSI and Shri. Suraj Domaji Patbhaje, Additional Director General & HoD, GSI, SR for the advice and support in organising such important occasions at various geo-heritage sites of Geological Survey of India. He finally advised all to preserve and protect this geo-heritage site for the future generation of our country. 

Shri. Vinod Kumar, Under Secretary during his address highlighted the scientific worder preserved at Thiruvakkarai by the GSI since 1957. He praised GSI for taking steps to preserve around 181 fossil wood remains at 9 enclosures in a very systematic manner. He advised to continue the maintenance of the geo-heritage site with more involvement and participation from local public so as to make this a geo-tourism site.  

Shri. G Nagendran, Director and Shri. S B Vijay Kumar, Director briefed on the geological and archaeological significance of the national geo-heritage site to the august gathering. The science behind the formation of the fossilised wood from the ancient trees during the geological period, its geological and archaeological significances prevalence of similar fossil-wood parks in Tamil Nadu (Sathanur Fossil Wood Park) and other places in India and World were elaborated to the audience.  They explained that these fossilised tree trunks occur in the sandstone mounts of Cuddalore Sandstone Formation of Mio-Pliocene epoch (of about 20 million years age). The explained how organic parts were replaced by silica preserving the original structures viz. annual rings, and tree trunk nodes of these trees and they referred it to belong to both Gymnosperms and Angiosperms.

Shri. Janardhan, District Tourism Officer, Villupuram District, Shri. Venkateswaralu, Assistant Head Master of Thiruvakkarai High School and Smt. Mohana Ramachandran, Panchayat President, Thiruvakkarai Village expressed their pleasure in having this geoheritage site in their village and pledged to protect and preserve it sincerely.  The urged the students the people of next generation to offer their shoulder in preserving them and keeping the Geoheritage site clean for furture generation to relish.  Followed by this the prize distribution was done by the dignitaries to the winning students of art and quiz competition.  The dignitaries honoured and felicitated the Janitors/Safai Karmacharis of Thiruvakkarai village and distributed swatchhata kit to them.  The Swatchhata Walk was done with students and officers raising slogans asking public to extend support in keeping India clean.  Under the plantation drive, the tree saplings were planted by the dignitaries.  Dignitaries and all participants involved themselves in carrying out cleanliness drive within the campus of Geoheritage site. The programme ended with vote of thanks proposed by Shri. T. Esakkimuthu, Director who looks after the Park and Museum Division of SU: TNP, GSI, Chennai.

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