'Bittu Tabahi' finds dog carcasses, medical waste near Turahalli forest in Bengaluru

Bittu was left stunned by what he encountered along the boundary of the reserve forest.

BENGALURU: Days after seeking suggestions from his followers on which state he should visit first for a clean-up drive, Madhya Pradesh-based environment activist Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as Bittu Tabahi, surprised Bengalureans Saturday morning by taking his cleanliness mission beyond his home state for the first time.

Known for single-handedly cleaning up a stretch of a river in Madhya Pradesh, Bittu, along with several others, participated in the drive along the periphery of Turahalli forest in Banashankari 6th Stage.Supported by a team of volunteers and local residents, Bittu, along with noted environmentalist AN Yellappa Reddy, and Ramakrishna Ganeshan from India Plog Run, joined the ‘Clean Up Turahalli’ drive organised by The Indian Garage Co in collaboration with Indus Herbs and assisted by Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).But, Bittu was left stunned by what he encountered along the boundary of the reserve forest. From piles of quintals of poultry waste to domestic sanitary waste and dog carcasses stuffed in duffel bags, medical waste, and heaps of plastic waste were dumped recklessly along the forest periphery. “No matter where you go, we lack civic sense. Keeping our surroundings clean is the least of our priorities. Initially, I thought it would be only plastic waste, but as I started clearing it, I was stunned to find dog carcasses and medical waste underneath the plastic heaps,” Bittu said.

The clean-up drive, which began at 8am and lasted nearly four hours, resulted in the removal of over two tonnes of waste.Yellappa Reddy, who launched the drive, said, “The story of Bittu is inspiring, and it is the need of the hour for Gen Z to wake up to the threat of environmental pollution and emulate what Bittu has done back home. Nearly four decades ago, the Turahalli area was a catchment for four mega waterbodies. But today, it is a tragedy that the same environment has become a dumping ground and volunteers have to team up to clean the area.

Luckily, due to the hard efforts of forest department, the interiors of the Turahalli reserve forest have remained intact and free from waste infestation.”Bittu remarked, “I thought in Bengaluru, the tech capital of India, the green spaces would be litter-free due to strong civic enforcement. But here, all along the road, there was legacy waste, and our hands alone could not clear the entire thing. A backhoe had to be summoned to clear the waste pile-up.

If only trees and forests had bluetooth or Wi-Fi capabilities, people perhaps would not have treated them with such disregard.

” He later distributed a variety of saplings to all the volunteers.Bittu, a 21-year-old BSc student, gained worldwide attention after documenting his efforts to clean Ajnar river in Biaora, Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. Pooling Rs 30,000 from his own pocket to buy basic tools and supplies, Bittu cleaned three major ghats of the river without proper protective gear and without even knowing how to swim.