KHAMMAM: A routine commute turned a 51-year-old school record assistant into an unlikely eco-warrior. After his bike skidded on a discarded plastic water bottle near Papakollu village, Tipparthi Siva didn’t just pick himself up; he picked a fight. Witnessing plastic choke drains, poison cattle and sicken his community, Siva transformed his shock into action. Now, Julurpad mandal’s determined “plastic warrior” wages a grassroots campaign, distributing pamphlets and pleading for change.
Speaking to TNIE, Siva says, “People are falling sick because of plastic, and it’s unfortunate that even educated people and public representatives continue to use and discard it carelessly.”
Disturbed by what he saw, he decided to start spreading awareness, beginning with his school. “Women play a key role in the household, so I focus on making them aware too,” he says.
Siva now distributes pamphlets against plastic use in buses, schools, colleges, public events, malls and hotels. “Right now, I do this during holidays or when time permits, but I want to take it up on a larger scale with support from well-wishers and the government,” he says.
His efforts are already showing results. K Rama Rao, who runs a kirana shop in Papakollu, says, “After Siva’s efforts, I began banning plastic in my shop.”
Many residents and local businesses have since followed suit, using dustbins and avoiding plastic bags.