Chatrapur,(YNS):In the backdrop of the much-anticipated Gopalpur Beach Festival, the major beaches of Ganjam district—renowned for their natural beauty—were cleaned through a “Beach Festival Cleanliness Rally,” spreading the message of “Clean Beach, Beautiful Odisha” across the state.
With the objective of promoting environmental awareness among the general public, providing a pleasant experience to tourists, and above all protecting the marine ecosystem, a beach cleanliness drive was successfully organized today at 14 locations in Ganjam district. The beaches covered under the drive were Gokharkuda 1 and 2, Gopalpur, Bateswar, Podampeta, Markandi, Haripur, Sunapur, Prayagi, Aleswar, Nolianuagaon, Garampeta, Dhabaleswar 1, Ramayapatana, Dhabaleswar 2, Podampeta, Dankalpadu, and Garampeta.
The programme was conducted under the leadership of Ganjam District Collector Shri V. Keerthi Vasan, Additional District Magistrates Dr. Pramod Kumar Prusti, Shri Debadatta Panda and Shri Sunil Kumar Kerketta, Berhampur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Shri Prathamesh Arvind Rajshirke, Berhampur Sub-Collector Shri Abinash Kumar, and other senior officers.
Students from schools and colleges, local residents, volunteers, employees of various government offices, and police administration personnel—around 6,000 enthusiastic participants—voluntarily took part in the programme.
The cleanliness drive commenced at 6:00 AM with a brief orientation on waste segregation and safety guidelines. Volunteers worked in teams and collected nearly 20 tonnes of dry waste, including plastic waste, glass bottles, food packets, and other discarded materials scattered along the coastline. Special emphasis was laid on segregation of recyclable and non-recyclable waste to ensure responsible disposal.
At Nolianuagaon beach, the maximum 7.3 tonnes of dry waste was collected, while the minimum of seven kilograms was collected at Dhabaleswar beach. Nolianuagaon recorded the highest participation with 890 participants—420 from educational institutions, 350 from civil society, and 120 from other organizations—who cleaned approximately 19.2 kilometres of beach stretch.
The District Collector expressed hope that this major initiative would help restore the natural beauty of the beaches and reduce potential damage to marine life. On behalf of the district administration, all were requested to continue supporting environmental conservation efforts and to pledge not to use plastic or materials harmful to marine life during the festival period.
