Mangaluru Trashed! The Aftermath of ‘Mangaluru Dasara Parade’ Captured on Camera
- We all Love Mangaluru Dasara-it’s Traditional, Fun, Colorful- but the Mess that is left behind by the spectators is NOT Traditional, Fun, and Colorful? The amount of trash that was left behind along the route of the Mangaluru Dasara procession was unimaginable- and the Poor Pourakarmikas of Antony Waste Disposal hired by MCC had to toil hard to clean up all the piles of waste. Whom are we to blame for all this Mess. First and foremost, we need to blame the organizers/City authorities for not providing garbage bins/dumpsters when they had allowed street vendors to do business; secondly, the spectators for not using their common sense, being ignorant and littering all over. Next time such kind of event takes place, either MCC bans street vendors or provides enough garbage bins.
Mangaluru: The images that you are going to see in this report is the just the ‘OPPOSITE OF SWACHH MANGALURU?’. Celebrations and festivities often lead to a sad ending. As Kudla tries to come out of the Navratri and Dasara hangover, our city and rivers brave pollution. While rivers and ponds are claustrophobic with idols and other religious materials thrown at the visarjan, the air has been polluted with smoke with tons of firecrackers burst during the festival. The iconic Mangaluru Dasara celebrations observed with much flurry robbed cleanliness from one of the country’s “CLEANEST CITY”.
Used Plastic water bottles, wasted paper, disposable plates, Ice Cream cups/wrappers, along with skin of watermelons, limes, sugar canes, pineapples etc among other things scattered on most of the City streets, where the parade proceeded. This Dasara known as the biggest festivity of Mangaluru city, which is celebrated with full grandeur, has left behind ugly scenes of Trash. Shouldn’t we preserve the sanctity of this sacred festival, our great city, and its landmarks? Then, what’s all this un-cleanliness and ignorance. Mangaluru, which has won a few awards under the Swachh Bharat Mission, and also bagged the ‘Best City Under Solid Waste Management in India 2018’, and First City in Quality of Life in India, was bereaved by this recklessness. Having trashed the City, with blatant disregard to the City has been an annual feature. Seems like being a “Smart City” does not have Smart City Administration Officials and Smart Citizens?
Garbage is seen right in front of the MCC Building, which boasts about its achievement in Cleanliness
Like one of our reader, Sheik had posted his comments on our website blog saying, “I was repeatedly saying this city is “Smart City” without “Smart People”-Despite being highest in literacy this city seems to have lack of civic sense. Cleanliness reflects the mind. This is the same reason they can’t elect ‘WISE” politician from the last 25 plus years. Jai Hind! Featured as one of the cleanest city in India- our educational coastal town turned into a trash can after Mangaluru Dasara celebrations. It seemed like a cyclone had hit the city, with trash scattered all over the area, where the Dasara procession moved on. Sadly, to note that not even the third cleanest city in the country and second cleanest city in Karnataka-Namma Kudla could save itself from the public litter that follows any festive celebration.
People should know that festivals are no reason for littering a public place. They should understand at some point that they must preserve the sanctity of the sacred festival, the great coastal city and its landmarks. Hope this blatant disregard to the Swachh Bharath/Mangaluru is not an annual feature anymore. While citizens are blaming on the organizers and MCC, while some said that a ban on food vendors is the only way out, some others said people travelling from other cities are to be blamed for creating this mess. Oh well, whatever it could be, it was simply a mess out there- an unbelievable mess?
With crackers being burst during the fest, not only was it a nightmare for Pourakarmikas, but it also created safety hazards, even scared the pet and stray animals. Man is responsible for his own destruction…first, he creates pollution and then blames authorities for not acting on it…Something new should be started instead of bursting crackers – something positive. Mounds of flower and garlands rotting on the street corners, and unsold perishables were also dumped by roadside hawkers and pushcarts, which gave extra work for these labourers. The City roads were strewn with trash, from plastic bags, empty water bottles, snacks wrappers, fruits waste, corn husks etc.
Clearing the mess right in front of the MCC building, Nagamma speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “Citizens don’t have any pity on us. Every time a festival or a marathon/run takes place, we are left with all the thrash to clean up. These people enjoy, and we have to suffer. It almost seems that sanitation workers don’t have festivals. People celebrate the festivals and the next morning we forego our holidays to clear their mess, and yet we are ill-treated by everyone,”. I don’t know whom to blame for this disgusting mess, whether to blame the organizers for not providing enough numbers of garbage bins/containers or the spectators (young and old) and mostly all educated for disrespecting the cleanliness awareness drive “Swachh Bharath” or “Namma Mangaluru, Swachha Mangaluru” campaign.
Even during the last year Mangaluru Dasara, the same kind of mess was seen throughout the procession route and this year too it has been repeated. And the sad part is that all those who were responsible for littering were mostly from the City, I suppose. Is this what “Clean India” campaign that we are looking forward too, that too being educated citizens of India, where Mangaluru is considered as the Education Hub. Can’t we learn from our past mistakes? And while PM Narendra Modi is looking for a Clean India 2 October 2019 on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, it very much shows that The Dreams of his initiative may not accomplish and come True, the way things are going on. And on 2 Oct 2018, while we celebrated the Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we still saw filth around us, even in our cleanest city.
In conclusion, if our citizens can’t keep their surroundings clean or ignore “Swachh Bharath Abhiyan”, how can we ever think of having a Clean India or Clean Mangaluru. We need to enforce strict laws and punish those who litter in the public, then only we can look forward to “Swachh Bharath” and for that matter, “Swachh Mangaluru”!-If not PM Modi’s “Swachh Bharath” will NOT be his dream come true! Let’s work together and see that we keep our surroundings clean. Remember we should learn from our mistakes to change, and not continuing our old habits. And let’s remember to make “Namma Mangaluru, Swachha Mangaluru!” Hope this blatant disregard to the Swachh Bharath/Mangaluru happened during Mangaluru Dasara 2018 will not be repeated in 2019?
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