The beaches of Kovalam and Kollam were cleaned up by the personnel of Indian Coast Guard with volunteers on Saturday as part of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, 2015.
In Kovalam, 45 personnel of the Coast Guard Station at Vizhinjam were assisted by a 96-member contingent of the NCC wing of BNV High School, Thiruvallom, a team from the city Corporation led by local councillor Sudhir Khan, besides the Costal Police personnel. Commandant Pradeep Kumar Kushwaha, Commanding Officer, Indian Coast Guard Station, Vizhinjam, who inaugurated the two-hour drive, stressed the need for maintaining cleanliness of the coastal areas.
Pointing out the role of clean beaches in enhancing tourism sector, the Commandant urged the public to maintain the beaches clean, safe and hygienic.
The cleaning drive that started at 9 a.m. came to an end at 10.15 a.m. and the vigour earlier witnessed to clean the beaches was missing this year. A Coast Guard official, when contacted, attributed this to the ongoing operations by the armed force in the region.
Another official who was in the clean-up drive said the intermittent rain forced them to call it a day after one hour. The collected waste was seen dumped in the parking ground, and stray dogs were seen feeding on it. The official said they later removed the collected waste.
On the Kollam beach, a team of Coast Guard personnel of Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘C-427’ participated in the clean-up drive. As many as 65 personnel from Coastal Police, Fisheries Department, and volunteers from Port Departments participated in the beach cleaning.
