Naresh Giri: A man on a mission to keep Haridwar trash free

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Haridwar Mayor Anita Sharma said that the Haridwar Municipal Corporation is aware of Naresh's initiative adding that a proposal of felicitating him will soon be placed on the board.

Haridwar (Uttarakhand): Since 2012, it has become a usual sight for the people of Haridwar town, to see a middle-aged person in a small car, riddled with messages and placards on cleanliness, collecting trash from various parts of the town. He is Naresh Giri (53), a resident of Bhupatwala in Haridwar. His mission is to keep the town clean. The car is also decorated with pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It all started in 2012 when he saw media reports about a group starting a cleanliness drive in Haridwar. At that time, the lack of a proper trash collection system became a major issue in Hardwar as garbage piled up in several parts of the town.

Seeing the situation, Naresh decided to take matters into his own hands to keep Haridwar clean. He came up with the idea of using his Maruti 800 for the task. He cut a plastic drum in half. He removed two back seats and installed the two parts of the drum in their place. With this, he started his journey of collecting trash from across the town and the journey continues till date.

Every day, he crisscrosses the town in his car to collect trash. He said that awareness among people regarding garbage disposal has increased a lot over the years but a section of people is still not taking the issue seriously. He regularly speaks to shopkeepers to sensitize them on the importance of proper garbage disposal.

Naresh is neither bothered about recognition nor about rewards. All he wants is the people to be aware of the importance of proper garbage disposal. "I neither need any help nor any award. If anyone wants to help me, then he should just become aware and put the garbage at the designated place. Pay special attention to cleanliness around you, this will be my biggest help," he said.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Haridwar Mayor Anita Sharma said that the Haridwar Municipal Corporation is aware of Naresh's initiative adding that a proposal of felicitating him will soon be placed on the board.