The city is lucky to have such a wonderful stretch of beach, something few cities in India can boast of, Chief of Staff of Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Bimal Verma said, flagging off the beach clean up programme taken up under the banner ‘Fighting for Trash free Seas’.
Beach divided
District Collector Solomon Arokiaraj joined the officers and men of the various wings of the Indian Navy, supported by Lions Club, Rotary Club, Andhra University NSS unit, Papa Home, HSL Scout Crew, Y’s Men Club, Friends Beach Waler’s Association, Oxford School, Navy Children School lined up on the beach front on Saturday to participate in the International Coastal Cleanup Day. Many of the Navy personnel and officers came with their families.
ADVERTISEMENT
The beach from Yarada to Rushikonda was notionally divided into sections with each major unit being allocated one section. The participants enthusiastically went about gathering the plastic waste that got washed ashore.
While the schoolchildren went about their task assiduously right from the word go, the elders took some time to get off and some went about trying to convert it into a photo opportunity with the visiting senior officials.
It appeared to be a family time for some of the Navy men and officers who took the opportunity to do something as a family.
ADVERTISEMENT
With the effort the Eastern Naval Command aims to complement the efforts of GVMC in making Vizag a cleaner and greener city. Some 2,000 Naval personnel comprising officers, men, ladies and children from various units of the ENC along with 1,500 citizens of the city from prominent civil society organisations participated. The Coast Guard did the beach cleanup at Rushikonda Beach.
GITAM NSS
NSS students of GITAM University joined the Indian Coast Guard in the clean up of Rushikonda beach.
About 150 NSS volunteers of Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering participated and removed the garbage, plastic bottles and bushes.
The programme was coordinated by NSS Programme Officer Sandeep Alanka.
HSL
Over 150 school and college students and staff from the educational institutions functioning in the HSL township at Gandhigram, members of Rover Scouts, members of SCR Senior Management Committee of the company also participated in the beach clean up.