Bengaluru: Mulbagal Taluk is a three-hour bus ride from Bengaluru city, at a distance of about 92 km. Here, travellers soon arrive within view of the celebrated Avani Betta, a rich source of local mythological history. This, according to popular lore, is the birthplace of Luv and Kush, the sons of Lord Rama, and the site of the Uttara Ramayana. Here, stone structures nestled into the towering Avani Betta, show the author of the epic Ramayana, sage Valmiki's home and the 'delivery room of Sita'. At the top sits the Sita Parvati temple, now a landmark spot for childless couples.
The hill itself, however, is dotted with litter, testimony to the constant stream of visitors who pay homage to this site. Avani, or earth, is a tribute to Mother Sita, Avanisuta or an incarnation of the mother earth. Legend has it that Sita gave birth to Luv and Kusha, who were raised in the hermitage of Valmiki, in Avani. A non-descript stone structure marks the hermitage too: Here, the magnificence of the terrain and the famous Narasimja Tirtha, the water-lily pond, sometimes overshadow the architectural importance of the site itself.
Avani Betta, therefore, sees a regular stream of visitors through the year, some attempting day trips outside the city, others arriving as pilgrims. According to one of the many religious customs that exists within the temple complex is the habit of tying a plant to the rock itself. Cloth, which was customarily used, has given way to plastic, an unsightly scattering amongst the profusion of flora and fauna for which the Avani is famous. Tourists arrive for weekend picnics, too, leaving behind a mess of empty food packets and broken liquor bottles, much to the dismay of the administration.
On World Environment Day, a group of eco-warriors from Bengaluru joined hands with the local administration in Mulbagal taluk, to clean Avani Betta. Shailesh Shrivastava, who visits the area often, was perturbed by the unending flow of litter and joined hands with his friend, Abhilash Krishna, co-founder of Eyeris, a Bengaluru company and NGO Grama Vikas, to organise a closed-community cleaning drive.
With only a handful of buses and trains with which to make the trip to Kolar from Bengaluru, the team, who spent two nights at the site, were pleasantly surprised to see over 200 participants. "There were a lot of schoolkids who showed up," said Shrivastava. "The betta is about 900 m from foot to peak and it's a tiring job." The annual Jatre, which takes place on Shivaratri, is a grand affair but takes its toll on the surrounding areas.
"The hill is teeming with different kinds of flora and fauna, reptiles, fish and leopards," says Shrivastava. "Then you see the rock, which is full of plastic and graffiti by tourists. We decided we had to do something."
Avani Betta, through a series of interventions by the Deputy Commissioner, was declared a plastic-free Zone. This rule, of course, is rarely kept and the gram and Zilla Panchayats were happy to have a helping hand. "The Gram Panchayat provided all the volunteers with breakfast and lunch," he said. MVN Rao, the Executive Director, Grama Vikas, has worked in the area for many years. "We wanted young people to get involved in cleaning the place," said Mr. Rao. "The Commissioner had had a meeting with district officials and told the Executive officer there to ensure that bags are checked and plastics confiscated," he recalled. However, this didn't amount to anything due to a shortage of resources."
Determined not to have the waste transferred from one spot to another, the team tied up with the Sankalpa Trust, an initiative that deals with solid waste management.
"All the waste will now be recycled, instead of it being moved from one spot to a landfill."
Coming, CEss on plastic use
The Karnataka government is contemplating levying five per cent tax on plastic goods to discourage people from using such goods. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy announced this at a World Environment Day function organised by the state government here on Tuesday.
"In spite of the government banning plastic, its use has not come down. On the contrary, it has become rampant. We have to take stringent steps to contain the use of plastic. So, the government is considering the option of levying tax of five percent on plastic goods. This step, we hope, will cut the use of plastic," Mr Kumaraswamy said.
"People and non-governmental organisations(NGOs) should join hands with the government,” he stressed.
KSRTC collects Rs 61 lakh from those peeing in public
KSRTC's revenues "leaking"! Not really.
Nuisance makers, peeing in public at bus-stands and bus terminuses, have made the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) richer by Rs 61 lakh. The transport corporation, unable to bear the stench at its bus stations, had started imposing fines in June 2016. "In all, 61,779 people were penalised and Rs 61,77,900 was collected. Each violator was penalised Rs 100 on the spot. We started the programme as we wanted to keep the bus stands clean. We have taken stern action at all our premises, including bus stations, depots, office premises, divisional workshops, training centres and canteens," the official said.
"We have dedicated teams to keep a watch on commuters and public who relieve themselves in the open at bus stations and bus stands, and penalise them on the spot. We have put up display boards asking people to use toilets at bus stations, still people urinate in the open. The menace has somewhat come under control now. But we still find such people and penalise them," said another officer. "All bus stations have toilets and they are cleaned more than twice a day. The cleaning staff too is being monitored. Public should use these toilets instead of relieving themselves in the open," the officer said.
