Marathoners, let's not make sea link a pee-link

The Bandra Worli sea link has a new acronym - BWPL, the full form of which is Bandra Worli Pee Link. This paper has a front page report about a woman starting a petition to stop marathon participants for peeing on the sea link, while competing in the race. The report, which is getting plenty of traction, carries a photograph of runners lined up on the sea link peeing. This happens, despite the marathon organisers providing for toilets en route.

The organisers have been quoted in the news report as saying that there are toilets on the course but change has to come from within. It is shocking that these men think nothing of standing on the sea link to relieve themselves. They do not have a care in the world for hygiene nor basic civic sense. We presume they are educated adults, all holding some responsibility in life. Why then blame the poor and uneducated for using our roads and pavements as open toilets when the educated, more privileged resort to this disgusting behaviour. They have little regard or respect for other runners, too, when they resort to this behaviour. There is police presence on the sea link when the marathon is in progress.

These men should be caught and punished with fines, and not allowed to participate in the next edition of the marathon. This time, the Mumbai marathon took an initiative to go green cutting back on plastic bottles and segregating waste at the marathon expo. These were small steps to the greenathon we can expect, in sync with the times. Yet, when competitors resort to this behaviour, these initiatives come undone. Shame on those who indulged in this. Whatever your race rank for Mumbai you are a 'loo'-ser.

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