Sri Vijaya Puram, March 15: In a bid to promote environmental sustainability and encourage community participation in preserving the natural beauty of the Islands, the Department of Tourism, A&N Islands, organized a beach cleanliness drive at Wandoor Beach under the Wandoor Gram Panchayat today. The initiative was carried out with the support of the Rural Development Department, Police Department, Forest Department, the Panchayat representatives & other departments of the A&NI administration. A good number of officials and staff from the various line departments, local villagers and members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) actively participated in the drive, reflecting strong community commitment towards protecting the ecological sensitive coastal ecosystem.
During the drive, the entire stretch of Wandoor Beach was cleaned to remove the accumulated waste. A total of 25 to 30 gunny bags of garbage were collected, including plastic and glass bottles, thermocol fragments, tin cans, disposable plates, cups and other non-biodegradable waste. The collected garbage was handed over for proper disposal through appropriate waste management channels.
The beach cleaning drive was actively participated by Shri Vinayak Chamadia, IAS, Director Tourism; Shri Kamleshwar Rao, IAS, SDM; Dr. Apurva Sharma, DANICS, Director (RD/PRI & ULBs); Ms. Anita Yadav, DANICS, Joint Director Tourism; officials & staff from Tourism, Police and Forest Departments; the Pradhan and PRI members, along with several volunteers and local residents.
The initiative also aimed at fostering a community-driven approach for safeguarding the coastal ecosystems, which is crucial for the Islands’ biodiversity and tourism potential. Officials highlighted that clean and wellmaintained beaches play a vital role in enhancing the appeal of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a world-class tourist destination, while also protecting marine life and coastal fauna from the harmful effects of environmental pollution.
People present at the site were sensitized about the importance of environmental responsibility and encouraged to adopt the message of #OurIslands #OurResponsibility to preserve the pristine beauty of the Islands for future generations.
An appeal was made to both residents and visitors to dispose of waste
responsibly by using designated dustbins and to adopt sustainable practices such as reducing the use of single-use plastics and avoiding littering in coastal areas.