Beach cleaning drive held in coastal Karnataka

Mangaluru: Hundreds of volunteers took part in a cleanliness drive at the Panambur beach here on Saturday as part of the Clean Coast-Safe Sea initiative under the Swachha Amrita Mahotsav.

School and college students, representatives of various organisations, Coast Guard personnel and other volunteers actively participated in the drive, which began at 7 am.

Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel inaugurated the drive. Mayor Jayananda Anchan, deputy mayor Poornima, Bharath Shetty MLA, deputy commissioner K V Rajendra and others participated.

At Kodi and Maravanthe beaches in Kundapur of Udupi district, the coast cleaning campaign was taken up jointly by the Tourism department, Clean Kundapur project, Kundapur municipal council, Maravanthe gram panchayat, Byndoor town panchayat, Coast Guard and other organisations.

Plastic bottles, slippers and trash on the sea shores were picked up to keep the beaches clean.

Tourism department regional director Mohammed Farooq said that local youths have voluntarily come forward and actively participated in the drive.

Kundapur assistant conservator of forests Ashish Reddy, Kundapur municipal council president Veena Bhaskar, Coast Guard Gangolli station officer Nanjappa, FSL president Rakesh Soans were among those who took part in the programme.