BSCC hosts Swachhata walkathon, honors 100 Pourakarmikas

BENGALURU Marking the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, the Bengaluru South City Corporation, in active partnership with local educational institutions and civil society organizations, hosted a sweeping Swachhata Walkathon and public awareness campaign centered at Shalini Ground in Jayanagar under the guiding motto, "Cleanliness is our pride, our responsibility." The civic event drew strong participation from students, youth volunteers, and corporation officials who took to the streets for a community plogging drive—collecting roadside litter while walking to underscore the urgency of environmental conservation and waste management. Addressing the gathering, Corporation Commissioner K.N. Ramesh emphasized that sustainable urban sanitation requires deep-rooted behavioral change rather than symbolic one-day observances. "Public participation and civic sense are essential to building a greener and healthier Bengaluru. It is everyone's responsibility to segregate wet and dry waste at the source, create a single-use plastic-free environment, and maintain cleanliness in public spaces. Cleanliness awareness should not be limited to just one day, but must become a way of life in every citizen's daily routine," Commissioner Ramesh stated. A poignant highlight of the celebrations was the formal felicitation of front-line sanitation workers who labor tirelessly to maintain urban hygiene. A total of 100 sanitation personnel—comprising waste collection auto drivers, helpers, and Pourakarmikas—were honored with certificates of appreciation and commemorative flasks. The awardees included 40 personnel from Jayanagar, 40 from Bengaluru South, and 20 from the Padmanabhanagar division under Zone-1. Complementing the main event in Jayanagar, specialized anti-single-use plastic campaigns were rolled out across the BTM Layout constituency. Partnering with prominent NGOs such as 'Saahas' and 'Let’s Be The Change', civic teams spearheaded awareness rallies through Adugodi and Rajendra Nagar. The outreach focused heavily on educating local market vendors and residents regarding strict bans on single-use plastics, decentralized solid waste management, and mandatory wet-and-dry waste segregation. The day's events were supervised by senior civic administrators, including Joint Commissioner Dr. N.N. Madhu, Chief Engineer Basavaraj Kabade, and DGM Manuja, reinforcing the corporation's ongoing commitment to cleaner municipal infrastructure.