Youth take the lead for ‘coastal clean-up’

Peals of laughter broke out from a group of youngsters as they tried to click the perfect selfie. A group of students on the footpath were checking their contact list and giving a wake-up call to their friends. Wearing caps and gloves and holding gunny bags, an army of volunteers were seen picking up trash strewn all along the path.

The Beach Road sprang to life at 6.30 a.m. on Friday as scores of people from all walks of life gathered with one common mission in their mind -- ‘Coastal clean-up drive’. Though it has been a year since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched one of his pet projects ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, it redefined the concept of cleanliness and promoted a new culture, especially among the young minds.

With voluntary associations, Swachh Bharat ambassadors and GVMC taking the lead, the response for the cleanliness drive has definitely gone beyond the confines of home, school, college and organisations.

“A small step paves way for a huge change. Participating in programmes such as these is sure to change the mindset of people and make them socially responsible,” says A. Chandrakala, an employee of Agriculture Department and a volunteer who took part in the coastal clean-up drive.

Defining the Swachh Bharat movement as contagious, Jihitasri, a B.Tech, student said that with Facebook and WhatsApp popping up the invites, the participation level among youngsters has gone up.

Concerted effort

Rahul and Yaswanth, engineering students and volunteers of the campaign, felt that consistent efforts give better results. “Initially, we were not so concerned about uncollected garbage in our localities or considered promoting hygiene more seriously. Today, we don’t mind investing our time and pocket money for the purpose and sensitise people to keep their environs clean,” they said. After flagging off the fifth ‘Coastal clean-up drive’, president of Ken Foundation Society P. Santosh said, “Discipline should come from within. With the awareness level taking an upward turn, most people now feel that maintaining cleanliness is not a regime meant for sanitation workers alone.”