NGO Volunteers Cleaned It, Alcoholics Dirtied It!- the Lane near Jugul Towers, Mallikatta

NGO Volunteers Cleaned It, Alcoholics Dirtied It!- the Lane near Jugul Towers, Mallikatta

Mangaluru : On 31 May, a bunch of organizations observed World No Tobacco Day, to bring awareness about the ill effects of Tobacco products, and urging people to stop smoking and chew tobacco. But if you look around the City, specially near the bars and restaurants, you will find cigarette butts and gutka wrappers/chewing tobacco spit decorating our Swachh Mangaluru. The theme for World No Tobacco Day was “Tobacco – a threat to development.” It proposed measures that governments and the public should take to promote health and development by confronting the global tobacco crisis. The campaign also demonstrated the threats that the tobacco industry poses to the sustainable development of all countries, including the health and economic well-being of their citizens; and It also proposed measures that governments and the public should take to promote health and development by confronting the global tobacco crisis.

Seems like that one day campaign to mark ‘World No Tobacco Day’ was just a Nataka, because if you look around the City, the tobacco addiction is still on the rise, and the District Tobacco Control Cell, and its associates have not taken any stern action against those petty shops dealing with tobacco products. There are even petty shops in the name of “Paan Stalls” selling cigarettes near education institutions- and the proof is that when you see cigarette butts and gutka wrappers lying around those stalls. Even though various diseases and disabilities that result from tobacco use have emerged as one of the crucial public health issues, the officials from the concerned tobacco control cell have not done much. Probably we will have to wait for the next World No Tobacco Day to once again bring awareness on that subject.

While talking about the menace created by these petty shops who sell tobacco products, and among hundreds of such shops mushrooming around the City near liquor shops/bar and restaurants, the one place where you can see the litter of cigarette butts and tobacco products wrappers is on the lane adjacent to Jugul Towers, Mallikatte, which also has a wine shop which serves liquor in the back side, adjacent to this lane- and the clients use this lane to discard the cigarette butts/gutka wrappers, liquor and beer bottles etc etc (the photos will reveal in details). On 7 April of this year, the clean up work in this lane and its surrounding was done by the volunteers of Ramakrishna Mission and doctors of Indian Medical Association-and today, after two months we are seeing the same activity of the alcoholics littering the area with garbage. The photos in this report will speak the truth?

While the volunteers of Ramakrishna mission as part of their “Swachh Mangaluru Campaign” are doing a good community service trying to keep Mangaluru Clean and green, and on the other hand we have a bunch of ignorant and idiotic citizens of Mangaluru who don’t show any appreciation of the cleanliness work done by Ramakrishna mission, and litter the city no matter what, and this Mallikatta lane is an example. Every late evening or night you can see laborers and low class people consuming alcohol, chewing paan/gutka, smoking cigarettes and what not- and leave behind empty liquor/beer bottles, gutka wrappers, cigarette butts etc. Some even urinate in the lane, showing no respect to women passing by in that lane.

Empty Liquor Bottles Stacked behind Wine Shop Proves Liquor Served there

Couple of residents living in that area had brought to the notice of Team Mangalorean that every single day/night people consume alcohol, talk loud and create nuisance, having no respect to people passing by in that lane- and it is also surprising to note that the excise and police departments are allowing a wine shop to serve liquor, when the law doesn’t permit. The empty liquor bottles stacked behind the wine shop is the proof. Seems like the business and the corrupt officials of the excise and police are hand in hand, and nothing much can be done by the innocent residents of that area and general public. How can the wine shop sell liquor when the law prohibits it- and this is seen at 99% of the wine shops in the City.

In spite of the night beat cops sitting in their car parked very close to this area, these alcoholics give a damn for the cops, instead they carry on with drinking, chewing and smoking spree- and the cops just observe without taking any action. How nice to have such cops to take care of the City and the citizens? Like someone said, “I bet the cops get a cut from the wine shop across from the Bus shelter, in allowing these alcoholics to carry on with their drinking”. Yes, while appreciating all the good work done by RKM, and other NGO’s/Organizations in keeping the City clean, the Officials of the City Administration/Mangaluru City Corporation/Police Department should also cooperate and come up with suitable ways to crack down on these litterers who are spoiling the beauty of Mangaluru.

The NGO’s and other organizations can’t control these litterers, it should be done by the various City administrations, like imposing fine on those who litter, or even punish the repeating offenders. If not it will be “Absolutely not a “Smart” plan when the City is gearing up to be a “Smart City?”. Or people should form a “GREEN BRIGADE” just like in Bengaluru where they catch those who litter, or take the garbage and dump it back in the yard of those litterers. It’s also the duty of the law enforcement officials to crack down on litterers, and not just ignore when they see such people dirtying the so called “Smart City”, which is turning into a “Sh@# City”?

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