Hovercraft in Mangalore on Monday

School and college students cleaning the Panamboor Beach, part of the celebration of International coast cleanup day, organised by the Coast Gurd, in Mangalore on Saturday. Photo : H.S.Manjunath.

Mangalore: Wearing gloves or plastic cover on their hand and holding disposable bags, an army of students from higher primary schools and colleges were spotted on Panambur and Thannirbavi beaches at 7 am on Saturday, to carry out beach cleanling drive and give a complete makeover to the beach.

The International Coastal Clean-up Day was organised by the Indian Coast Guard in association with various organisations and children from various schools. The aim of the event was to clean up the selected beaches and coast line and also spread awareness among local citizens about clean coastal environment.

The students and members of public picked up plastic covers, empty bottles, paper cups and a host of other leftover stuff strewn all along the stretch covering the beach. -We had come to beach along with our friends two weeks ago. After having eatables, we left the plastic covers and paper cups on the sand.

Now we have come to clean the beach. We have realised the mistake of polluting the environment,- said college students. The Coast Guard had taken up the drive on Panambur, Surathkal, Malpe and Thannirbavi beaches. -The nature gives us back what we give it to the nature. If we check pollution, then the surroundings will be clean. We will give priority to cleanliness of our surroundings and also will try to create an awareness among public on the same,- said M V Shetty College student Daisy George.

-We had come to the beach to relax few weeks ago. By participating in the beach cleaning drive, we develop a sense of responsibility,- said one of the volunteers who came along with her friends.

-The thrown plastic carry bags, cups and other materials enter into streams and river during rainy season. From river, it reaches the sea and during tide, the garbage lashes back to the shore. Hence, we have to dispose off the garbage effectively in the beach to maintain cleanliness on the shore. We are also responsible for creating pollution,- said Mahesh PU College student Arun. Flagging off the drive, Coast Guard Karnataka Commandant R M Sharma said that there is a need to reduce the use of plastic carry bags and give priority to cleanliness.

The students of Panambur School, Mahesh PU College, Bengre School, and M V Shetty College cleaned the beach under the guidance of Commandant Rajendar Singh Sapal and Pollution Control Board senior scientific officer Jayaprakash. The groups that had collected highest garbage were awarded. Mangalore: The long-pending proposal to induct hovercrafts into the Indian Coast Guard fleet in the State will turn to fruition with the arrival of a hovercraft in the city on Monday.

Out of the 18 hovercrafts procured by the Coast Guard to patrol the nation’s coastline, two will be stationed in Mangalore, said officials on the sidelines of a beach clean-up exercise at Panambur. -While one hovercraft will come on Monday, the other may arrive within 10 days from Mumbai,- said Rajender Singh Sapal, Commandant (JG), Coast Guard, Karnataka. With the 15-acre land at Thannirbhavi yet to be developed into a heliport, the two crafts will be based out of the ICG, Karnataka’s headquarters in Panambur, he said.