Mangaluru: More than 1,500 kg of waste was cleared from three major garbage blackspots on Kankanady Old Road during the February cleanliness drive organised under the Ramakrishna Mission’s Swacch Mangaluru Abhiyan. The drive, held on Sunday, brought together senior volunteers, students, doctors and civic-minded residents in a coordinated effort to improve sanitation and reduce plastic waste in the area. The campaign was formally flagged off by Fr George Jeevan Sequera, administrator of Father Muller Medical College Hospital, and Anil Kumar Bhoomareddy, Additional Superintendent of Police, Dakshina Kannada.

Call for continuous plastic reduction awareness

Fr George Jeevan Sequera stressed that plastic reduction is still not practised seriously enough in daily life and called for sustained awareness efforts across all sections of society. He noted that even educated individuals often neglect basic environmental responsibilities and said behavioural change must accompany regulations and civic drives.

“Even educated people often forget simple responsibilities like avoiding plastic,” he said, while appreciating the Ramakrishna Mission and Swacch Mangaluru volunteers for consistently organising cleanup campaigns and keeping public attention focused on sanitation issues. He added that repeated engagement with communities is essential to build lasting habits.

Police official urges youth participation

Additional SP Anil Kumar Bhoomareddy described Swacch Mangaluru as a value-based social concept rooted in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — one world, one family. He said public spaces should be treated with the same care as private homes.

Drawing a simple comparison, he said people do not litter inside their houses and should extend the same discipline outside. He urged youth and student groups to take an active role in cleanup efforts and become long-term ambassadors of civic responsibility. He also praised volunteers for repeatedly identifying and clearing chronic garbage dumping points.

Three garbage blackspots targeted

The main operation focused on three long-standing garbage blackspots along Kankanady Old Road. The cleanup was led by senior volunteers under the leadership of Dilraj Alva, who coordinated multiple teams and equipment deployment.

Volunteers manually collected and segregated mixed waste, with plastic forming a major share of the material removed. Organisers said the total quantity of garbage cleared during the operation exceeded 1,500 kg.

Apart from lifting dumped waste, teams removed unauthorised banners, cut back thick roadside vegetation and improved pedestrian access along clogged stretches. The effort was aimed not only at beautification but also at preventing repeat dumping.

Students and medical community join shramadan

As part of the shramadan (voluntary service) component, doctors and students participated in large numbers. Dr Dhanesh Kumar, Principal of Nitte Institute of Physiotherapy, joined fellow doctors and students in cleaning the upper road connecting Father Muller Medical College Hospital.

This team concentrated on clearing plastic litter, removing scattered waste and trimming overgrowth along the roadside. Volunteers said the stretch is frequently used by patients and visitors, making cleanliness especially important.

Students from St Joseph Engineering College also took active part, assisting with waste collection and segregation. Organisers noted that student participation has been rising steadily, strengthening the manpower base for such drives.

Parallel cleanup on lower road stretch

A separate volunteer team simultaneously undertook an intensive cleanup on the lower road connecting Pumpwell. This group cleared plastic waste, removed fallen tree branches and tackled clogged sections along the roadside.

Members entered drainage channels to extract plastic and non-biodegradable waste that had accumulated over time. Such blockages can lead to water stagnation and flooding during heavy rain, making preventive clearance necessary.

Organisers said combining surface garbage removal with drain cleaning produces more durable sanitation results.

Supported by civic and corporate partners

The drive was organised in association with Swacch Mangaluru Prathishtana and supported by MRPL and ONGC under their environmental social responsibility initiatives. Support from corporate partners helped with logistics, tools and waste handling arrangements.

Volunteers said sustained progress depends not only on organised drives but also on daily behaviour by citizens. They emphasised that reducing plastic use and avoiding roadside dumping are critical to preventing blackspots from reappearing.

Conclusion

The latest cleanup shows the scale of waste that can accumulate in a short time and the level of effort required to remove it. Speakers and organisers agreed that while volunteer drives are effective interventions, long-term improvement depends on continuous awareness, youth participation and personal responsibility in handling waste and plastic use.