‘Clean Kodagu-Beautiful Kodagu’ campaign held across Kodagu district

A cleanliness drive under the ‘Clean Kodagu-Beautiful Kodagu’ campaign was held across the district on Monday, covering its tourist destinations and pilgrimage centres, besides district and taluk headquarters.

The drive jointly organised by the Kodagu district administration, Kodagu Zilla Panchayat, Forest and Tourist Departments and tourism stakeholders was inaugurated at Raja Seat in Madikeri by City Municipal Council (CMC) president P. Kalavathi.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Kalavathi said that half-litre and one-litre bottled water has been banned in Madikeri city, which has helped curb plastic usage to a large extent. She stressed that efforts should continue in the same direction and that plastic usage must be gradually reduced.

The campaign covered several major pilgrimage centres and tourist locations, including Talacauvery, Omkareshwara Temple, Bhagamandala, and tourist spots such as Abbey Falls, Nalknad Palace, Raja’s Seat, Raja’s Tombs, Madikeri Fort, and Chelavara Falls in Madikeri taluk.

In Kushalnagar taluk, the drive covered Dubare River Rafting centre, Cauvery Nisargadhama, Harangi Reservoir, Harangi Garden, the Elephant Camp, backwater adventure sports areas, and Chiklihole reservoir. In Somwarpet taluk, the campaign was conducted at Honnamana Kere, Makkalagudi Hill, Kotebetta, Surlaabi Falls, and Mallalli Falls.

Similarly, in Ponnampet taluk, cleanliness activities were carried out at Barapole River Rafting centre and Iruppu Falls.

In Madikeri town, the drive covered stretches of about two km along Virajpet Road, Bhagamandala-Talacauvery Road (Mangaluru Road), Madikeri-Siddapur Road, and Madikeri-Mysuru Road.

In Kushalnagar, the campaign was conducted from Koppa Gate to the KSRTC bus stand; from Someshwara Temple via Konamaramma Temple Circle to IB Road and the KSRTC bus stand; from Tavarekere to the KSRTC bus stand; and from Ayyappa Swamy Temple to the KSRTC bus stand, said a statement here.

As part of the campaign, around 50 volunteers, with the cooperation of Cauvery Nisargadhama NTC, Coorg River Resort and forest officials, carried out cleaning activities along both sides of the road from Cauvery Nisargadhama towards Guddehosur.

In view of the large heaps of garbage found along the roadside, the stakeholders suggested that if the respective gram panchayats install garbage bins at designated locations, the problem could be addressed to some extent.

They pointed out that steps should be taken to install bins at designated locations to address waste management, as tourism in Kodagu was expected to attract more visitors in the coming days, which could in turn lead to an increase in waste generation.