City Pulse

On January 27, a citizen collective of more than 200 volunteers under the banner “Let’s Clean Amravati” organised its 69^th clean-up drive in Amravati, a city in Maharashtra. However, what makes this group stand out is that the members have dedicated every Sunday for a clean-up activity and never missed one, ever since the first drive held on October 2, 2017.

Let’s Clean Amravati, which works for the success of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ in Amravati, uses the Swachh Manch portal to connect with volunteers and civic officials. It is a part of ‘Aspirations Multi-Purpose Foundation’ started by Dr Anukool and Dr Krushna Pateria, Dr Sonali Ingle, Gagan Khalsa and Suniti Aggrarwal. 

However, what led to the formation of this unique collective was a dental camp in 2017. Dr Anukool and Dr Krushna, both dentists had attended a dental camp for the benefit of the schoolchildren at a government school in Amravati. The dilapidated condition of the school not only shocked them but also changed them into active citizens. 

“The drainage was open and running adjacent to the classrooms. The toilets, the school building was deplorable and it was hard for us to imagine on how can one study in this environment,” Dr Anukool tells IChangeMyCity. 

“We just could not leave the place without doing something and hence with seven of our friends we repainted the whole school and did whatever minor repairs possible. There was no looking back since then,” Dr Anukool adds. 

The group then formed an informal group and named it, ‘Let’s Clean Amravati’ and started conducting clean-up and painting drives in various government schools. Eventually, in June 2018, the foundation was formally registered.

When reports of the destruction of the eco-system around Chatri Lake due to human activity emerged, the group took it up on themselves to clean the lake and restore the eco-balance. 

“Chatri Lake is a serene spot and is known for migratory birds. In the recent years the population of migratory birds dropped as the water is polluted. The lake is widely used to submerge idols during Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Pooja. Sadly, most of the idols are made of ‘Plaster of Paris’ which has drastically affected the aquatic life,” says Dr Krushna. 

The group dedicated most of their Sunday’s in clearing the idols and used the Swachh Manch portal to post about the activity. The Amravati Municipal Corporation (AMC) took note of the activities of the group and wholeheartedly extended support. 

“We organise Chatri Lake clean-ups frequently during festivities and after that at least one Sunday every month. The AMC takes care of disposing the garbage and idols that we pull out from the river. Recently, they also got a JCB and helped us in cleaning the lake area. The AMC staff helps us whenever we organise the drive at the lake,” says Dr Anukool. 

In the past 69 weeks, the collective has taken up work in 11 government schools in Amravati. The activity at schools comprises of clean-up, painting and also painting educational messages and pictures on walls. Recently, District Government General Hospital at Amravati was painted as part of the drive. Cleanliness around Chatri Lake is maintained and the return of the migratory birds is a witness to the job well done. 

“We don’t intend to stop. There are many schools that need restoration and awareness needs to be created among people to not drop PoP idols in the lake,” Dr Anukool says. 

In the weekdays, the members of Let’s Clean Amravati propagate the message of ‘Swachh Bharat’ in their neighbourhoods and workplaces. They widely use the Swachhata App to highlight garbage dumps, which is promptly addressed by the AMC workers.