Mangaluru: The Sept edition of the Ramakrishna Mission’s Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan was held at Central Library Park, Kadri Mallikatte, Sunday.Mandar Kale, general manager, MRPL-ONGC, and Shashikala, panchayat development officer (PDO) of Biligiri Ranganathaswamy gram panchayat, flagged off the drive.Addressing the gathering, Kale appreciated the dedication and commitment of Ramakrishna Mission volunteers towards cleanliness and civic responsibility.Shashikala said staff members ofthe GP had visited Mangaluru to study the working methods of the Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan and learn from its cleanliness initiatives. Inspired by the systematic approach followed by the Ramakrishna Mission, she expressed her intention to adopt suitable practices in BR Hills.
Under the guidance of senior volunteers Kamalaksha Pai, Sukumar Saliyan, Damodhar Bhat, Anirudh Nayak and Sachin Shetty, faculty members and students of the Nitte Institute of Professional Education cleaned areas around the Central Library. They removed accumulated waste, dry leaves, debris and discarded banners from outer areas and footpaths, improving the surroundings.Faculty members Rahul Bhat and Joel Lobo of the Nitte Institute of Hospitality, along with their students, cleaned the park’s inner areas. Students removed weeds and overgrown grass and cleaned walking paths and the children’s play area. Senior volunteers Avinash, Prof Prakash, Navaneet Shetty, Prajwal and Pratham guided them during the activity.Students of the Srinivas Institute of Aviation, under the guidance of senior volunteers Taranath Alva, Balakrishna Bhat and Nagendra, cleaned the Saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath Memorial inside the park. They scrubbed moss and algae from walls and other surfaces and used bleaching powder as part of the cleaning process. The wall fountain was also cleaned with the help of a water tank.A special feature of the programme was the participation of staff members of the Biligiri Ranganathaswamy gram panchayat. Led by the PDO, they joined the cleanliness activities and interacted with senior volunteers to understand community-based cleanliness initiatives, waste management practices and methods of maintaining public spaces.The drive was organised by the Ramakrishna Mission’s Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan in association with Swachh Mangaluru Prathishtana, with support from MRPL-ONGC under its environmental social responsibility (ESR) initiative.
