PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Aligning itself with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and echoing Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a clean and healthy nation, UPES conducted cleanliness drives in three neighbouring villages -Bidholi, Kandoli and Paundha. UPES sources said that the drives were supported by a waste collection, management and consultancy NGOin ecologically sensitive Himalayan regions- Waste Warriors and Global Society of Social Soldiers (GS3), a UPES students NGO mentored by Srijan Samarth Internship Team, UPES. The event brought together over 160 volunteers.
The volunteer teams, comprising UPES students, employees and local community members, began the drive with street-side waste collection and spreading awareness on waste collection, segregation and its responsible disposal to onlookers and passers-by alike. The volunteers collected 108 bags of waste segregated category-wise for plastic, paper, glass etc. The collected waste was later transported to a Waste Recycling Facility located in Harrawala, Dehradun.
UPES sources further said that the locations for the drives had been identified in consultation with the gram pradhans of the villages.
Commenting on the initiative, the registrar, UPES, Manish Madaansaid that giving back to the community is a core part of being a true University of Tomorrow like UPES. “Through initiatives like this carried out around our campuses, our ideas about sustainability and social responsibility become real. We are thankful to the Gram Pradhans, their village residents, Waste Warriors, GS3 and each student volunteer who joined us in this drive. Together, we are keeping our villages cleaner and greener while shaping responsible citizens in the process,” he added.
UPES states that they have plans to organise similar drives on a regular basis, integrating community outreach with its broader sustainability agenda.
