Puri Witnesses Biggest Coastal CleanUp Drive Event Mo Beach

Puri: The biggest ever beach cleanup drive in the world Mo Beach program has witnessed a massive participation and successfully concluded in Odisha’s Puri district with more than ten thousand people engaged to clean up the pristine Bay of Bengal. More than 150 kilometers of Beach will be cleaned up with the help of more than 100 teams spread across the whole length. On the occasion of World Coastal Clean Up Day, the Government of Odisha has taken this bold and biggest initiative in which many high profile personalities are also associated.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has congratulated all the people who are associated with the biggest clen up drive and asked everybody to take a pledge to protect our environment and work for a peaceful, prosperous and safe world.

Climate change poses a challenge to world peace as it endangers our security and our lives. On #InternationalDayOfPeace, let’s pledge to protect our environment and work for a peaceful, prosperous and safe world. My congratulations to all involved in the #PuriBeachCleanup drive. pic.twitter.com/efdH9JBNzJ

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) September 21, 2019

Starting at sharp 6 am, the event witnessed participation of more than 10,000 volunteers on the Puri beach. The places chosen for the Mo Beach Event included 10 spots under Puri Municipality, 10 under Konark NAC and 80 locations in Astaranga, Brahmagiri, Gop and Krushnaprasad. The district administration engaged 10 nodal officers to oversee the exercise at Puri and Konark, while BDOs of Astaranga, Brahmagiri, Gop and Krushnaprasad were deployed to look after the locations identified in their area. Around 40 volunteers carried the exercise for two hours from 6 am to 8 am in each of the identified spot. The event aimed at creating awareness among people to keep the beaches clean and plastic-free.

Along with the District Administration, this campaign is being Sponsored by ICZMP under Forest and Environment Department of the Odisha Government, Tourist Department Government of Odisha, Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), Odisha Pollution Control Board (OPCB) and Bharat Scouts and Guides. Renowned sand artist and Padma Shri recipient Sudarshan Patnaik is the ambassador of the initiative.

According to Puri Collector Balwant Singh who is spearheading the drive, “The two hour long cleanup campaign started at 6 A.M. with thousands of volunteers participating in the `Signature on Sand’ campaign and taking an oath to protect our beaches and oceans by Reduce, Reuse and Recycle of waste especially plastic waste.”