Mangaluru: As part of the Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan of Ramakrishna Mission, the Oct monthly cleanliness drive was organised along Railway Station Road in Mangaluru, in collaboration with MRPL and Swachh Mangaluru Foundation. Senior volunteers undertook the task of cleaning a location near the University College Library, along the road connecting Mangaluru railway station, which had long been identified as a black spot. As this road is frequently used by railway passengers, tourists and the public, the team cleared unwanted banners, waste, dry leaves and debris. The initiative transformed a long-neglected and unhygienic stretch into a cleaner and more welcoming public space.Several senior volunteers, including Vittaldas Prabhu, Satyanarayana KV, Aniruddha Nayak, Kamalaksha Pai, RK Bhat, Prakash, Ashok, Uday KP, Taranath Alva, Mehaboob, Gangadhara Shastri and Nagesh, actively participated in the drive.A separate team of students, led by Ruchita Narsia and Arun Varghese, faculty members of Nitte Institute of Physiotherapy, with the support of student coordinators Ashwini and Edwin Vijay, undertook the cleaning of the pedestrian pathway along Railway Station Road. The students removed posters and unwanted stickers from roadside walls, scrubbed away dirt and adhesive marks using brushes, and washed the walls with water, restoring a cleaner appearance to the public space.The enthusiastic participation of young people was a major highlight of the cleanliness drive. Students from Canara College and Nitte Institute of Physiotherapy actively joined the campaign as volunteers. They removed posters, banners and unwanted stickers from the walls along Railway Station Road, scrubbed the surfaces with brushes, and washed them with water, contributing their efforts towards restoring the beauty of public spaces.The initiative also included plans to give the cleaned walls a fresh and vibrant appearance through painting. In the next phase, the volunteers plan to paint the remaining walls and decorate them with Warli art. There is also a proposal to plant saplings along the roadside and transform the black spot into a green and aesthetically pleasing space.Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan is a sustained public movement that promotes the beautification of public spaces, environmental awareness and civic responsibility. Through this initiative, the campaign aims to ensure that passengers and visitors arriving in Mangaluru through the railway station are welcomed by a clean, beautiful and artistic environment.The programme was jointly inaugurated by MK Rao, senior manager, MRPL, and Keshav Patali, CSR manager, MRPL. Mandar Kale, general manager, MRPL, Captain Ganesh Karnik and Prof Babita Shetty were present.
