Bengaluru: Around hundred enth­us­­ia­stic citizens gathered at Ejipura on Sunday morning to kickstart a drive to clean up the stretch from Ejipura junction to Domlur junction.

Also
present was BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah along with the BBMP zonal
commissioner, environment activists, students and Resident’s Welfare
Association members.

This was the first in a
series of campaigns by the BBMP and citizens to clean up the city and
repair civic infrastructure. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike
began the initiative in Ejipura and plans to target specific areas every
alternate day until the monsoon sets in.

On
Tuesday, the destination for the cleaning drive will be the stretch
between Rajalakshmi Kalyan Mantap to the Silk Board junction. The
citizens and BBMP cleared garbage, fixed potholes, painted walls,
cleaned and painted the footpaths. All other odd works along the stretch
too were completed.

“Taking
up this drive has resulted in so much visibility. This is the first time
that the Army offered to help us in cleaning the city and a large
contingent was present doing a lot of work,” said Kalpana Kar, member,
BATF, who was also part of the cleaning drive. “Army Deputy Commander,
Col. Shrivastav, has offered to extend full support for the cleaning
drive,” she said.

“The idea behind the drive was to
maintain and repair the roads before the monsoon season sets in,” said
Mr Sidde Gowda, Chief Engineer, BBMP. “Garbage that was collected from
the drive has been segregated and will be sent for composting, shredding
and to the landfills in Mandur. Sunday’s drive will set a precedent and
the same procedure will be followed in all the areas, across the city,”
he said.