Members of the National Service Scheme (NSS) of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) here participated in a coastal clean-up campaign at the Jahania beach near Astaranga in Puri district under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ program this week.

The event aimed at raising awareness about the importance of clean beaches, coastal environment conservation and maintenance of a pollution-free coastline.

Ninety NSS volunteers, led by Program Officers Dr. Mou Roy, Dr. Shyamalendu Tripathy, Dr. Rakesh Roshan Satpathy and Mr. Ananta Prasad Nanda, enthusiastically cleaned the beach covering a distance of about five km. They collected various types of litter including plastic water bottles, plastic waste and chocolate wrappers.

A sense of accomplishment filled the volunteers as they succeeded in restoring the beach to its pristine state.

Besides, the NSS volunteers also engaged with the visitors and tourists to inculcate in them the need to promote responsible waste disposal and use of dustbins to reduce litter. The clean-up drive stressed that human actions directly impact the future of the planet. It emphasized the importance of collective responsibility and the urgent need to protect the ecosystem for future generations.