VISAKHAPATNAM: In a massive cleanup drive, nearly 4,800 volunteers, including 3,000 Navy and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) personnel, cleared garbage on the beaches of Visakhapatnam between the Naval Coastal Battery and INS Kalinga near Bheemili Saturday.
They collected over five tonnes of garbage from all prominent beaches as part of the 30th International Coastal Cleanup Day, observed by the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) and ICG along with various other organisations and denizens of Visakhapatnam.
At 7.30 am Saturday, ENC chief of staff Vice Admiral Bimal Verma kickstarted the Cleanup Drive at Ramakrishna Beach. More than 3,000 naval personnel, including women and children from various units of ENC and ICG, set out with handgloves carrying plastic garbage bags.
Nearly 2,000 participants from various organisations joined hands to help clear the garbage strewn on the stretch from Coastal Battery to INS Kalinga. The members of prominent organisations like Consumer Protection Council, Lion’s Club of Visakhapatnam, NSS Wing of Andhra University, PAPA Home, Century Club, Y’s Men Club, HSL Scout crew, Oxford School, Human Rights Association, students from Timpany School and Navy Children School took part in the cleanup drive at various beaches.
At Rushikonda beach, the Indian Coast Guard District Headquarters no.6 (AP) lead the cleanup drive. The event was initiated with an aim to support ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission. The event was conducted in co-ordination with NTPC, Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), ESSAR Steel, Rain CII, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Balaji Sea Food Limited among others at various places. NTPC-Simhadri group general manager AK Samanta attended the event at Rushikonda. The HSL observed ‘Swachh Shipyard Day’ where the officers, staff and students participated in the cleanup drive.
The event covered large areas spread all along the coast of the city and outskirts, covering the Ramakrishna beach, Tenneti Park, Rushikonda beach, Kalinga beach and Yarada beach. The two major naval units also undertook cleanup drive near Double Bridge and inside the Naval Dockyard. During the occasion, other Flag officers and senior officers actively participated.