‘The Great Urinal Wall of Smart City-‘ Transformed into ‘The Great Warli Art Wall of Smart City-Mangaluru’!
Mangaluru: If “The Great Wall of China’ is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, locally here in Smart City we had ‘The Great Urinal Wall of Smart City’ of Mangaluru- but not any more, thanks to the efforts put in by the volunteers of Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan of Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission. A wall situated on the side of the road to the Service Bus Stand in Mangaluru city, which was converted into a public urinal by passersby, has been made a canvas for Warli art. The wall, which had been turned into an eyesore, was cleaned using water brought in tankers by the volunteers of Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan of Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission. Artists and students from colleges in the city have made the wall an open gallery, painting it with Warli Art.
In the past Team Mangalorean had highlighted the pathetic condition of the Rs 4.2 crore Service Bus Stand near State Bank of India, where there was a lack of facilities, including not a proper toilet, and hundreds of bus drivers/conductors/ and the general public were using this wall as a cover shield for urinal purposes- and the entire area was stinking. The pathetic plight of the road to the service bus stand that had turned into a public toilet for commuters, vendors, drivers, and conductors. The area was stinking as people were peeing at the roadside, though a public toilet facility was available a few meters away.
BEFORE …..
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Ranjan Bellarpady, Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan coordinator, said, “The area near the Service Bus Stand in State Bank was cleaned as part of the fifth month’s Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan recently. Volunteers of Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan, including 80 students from SDM College of Business Management and Canara Degree College, cleaned the area and the footpath under the guidance of Sri Jitakamanandaji, president of Mangaluru Ramakrishna Math. Since the wall located on the roadside had been turned into public urinals, we decided to create Warli Art on the wall to ensure that people desist from doing that”.
He further said, “Vikram Shetty from Aditattva Arts along with students and volunteers of the Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan beautified the wall with Warli Art, and MRPL and ONGC had sponsored the campaign. On March 10, the sixth Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan will be held. Hence, the painting work has been completed before that. The team of painters completed 21 artworks on a 3,500 sq ft wall within three days. The whole area, which was stinking once, has been made an attractive spot. Meanwhile, bus owners and employees have appointed senior citizen 71-year-old Antony Fernandes, and 48-year-old Sridhar, to prevent people from urinating in the area and create awareness between 5 am and 9 pm, Antony works from 6 am till late in the evening daily, while Sridhar, from 9 am till 9:30 pm, and they make sure no one uses the wall for urinal purposes.”
PRESENT….
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Shekunni, a bus driver of Navadurga Bus Service plying between Mangaluru to Mulki/Udupi said, “I had taken up the initiative long ago, but there was no support. Now that the Ramakrishna Mission and their volunteers have taken up the task of cleaning the area, and painting once a stinking wall with Warli Art, there has been a lot of improvement, and drivers/conductors and the public are making use of the pay toilet nearby. I collect donations from the bus owners and bus crew daily, which totals around Rs 700-Rs 800, and share the amount between Antony and Sridhar at the end of the day. Even though the rude public gives hard times to these two caretakers, they fight back and don’t allow the wall for their urinal purpose. So far everything is going on well, and once a pathetic and stinking area is tidy, which is no doubt a success of the Swachh Mangaluru Campaign.”
Maintenance/Care Takers L-R: Antony Fernandes; Bus driver Shekunni; and Sridhar
It should be noted that the Rs 4.2 Crore Renovated Mangaluru Smart City Ltd (MSCL) State Bank Service Bus Stand is in SHAMBLES Posing Hardship to Commuters-With No Seating arrangements; No proper Toilets/Restrooms; No Proper Eatery Places; Garbage/filth scattered all around posing health hazards to the commuters waiting for their buses, among many basic facilities that are lacking. The MLA Vedavyas Kamath, MCC Mayor Sudheer Shetty, and MCC Commissioner CL Anand among other City officials visited the bus stand on 26 October 2023, and MLA assured that all the facilities and development work that is needed will be taken up soon and that he has asked MSCL to provide roofing, seating, and other necessary facilities at the platforms. But until now no action has been taken. Added to all this mess, the wall that the public used for the urinal was a bad image for Smart City.
Now that the volunteers of Ramakrishna mission have taken this initiative, we need to be grateful to them for all the good work of clean up they do on Sundays, to keep Mangaluru, the Smart City, Green and Clean.
Poor maintenance in keeping the bus stand tidy has gone for a toss, with garbage/leftover food etc being scattered around. The question arises whether the concerned administration if taking up development works, will effectively maintain the service bus stand. The current state of footpaths, post-urination, highlights the need for officials to go the extra mile in ensuring proper maintenance after development.