Picking and packing your rubbish must be ingrained in our people. Responsible revelry and relaxation should be part of the getaway package
Representational image. Pic/iStock
Even as you read this, hordes of tourists may be making their way back to the city from hill stations and getaways after celebrating New Year. Others may stay a while longer, enjoying their little break and revving up for the year ahead.
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This paper featured a news report about visitors to the hill station of Matheran. These regular visitors claimed they were heartened at the sight of schoolkids cleaning trash discarded by tourists at scenic points. While that was uplifting, there was a downside too. The mounds of trash left behind by visitors and even tourists on longer stays have been increasing at these getaways.
It is time civic bodies put up signboards warning against littering. Points and picnic spots must have boards or some signage exhorting visitors to pick up after themselves. That said, garbage bins must be placed on popular trails so that people can discard their waste as they enjoy strolling through or even sitting and relaxing in these destinations. There are instances where we have witnessed garbage bins being vandalised, missing or broken rendering them useless.
The authorities need to look at these disposal methods. They need to reinforced materials and penalise those that do away with these waste bins, identified via CCTV surveillance. This is not a trivial matter, as waste bins are made and installed with people’s money. Breaking and taking infra is plain and simple theft and punishments must fit the crime.
Picnickers and visitors need to be sensitised to the scenario, in fact, they must be extremely conscious about leaving the spot clean after them. Picking and packing your rubbish must be ingrained in our people. Responsible revelry and relaxation should be part of the getaway package.
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