KOZHIKODE: A group of regular joggers on the Kozhikode beach are on a mission to fill potholes on city roads. The group with around 25 members is named 'Team Clean Beach'. A few of the members meet at the beach on a daily basis and monitor dangerous zones on city roads where accidents are common. On Monday, they filled a nearly one metre deep pit on Gandhi Road, where two people died in an accident last week.
This is a continuous mission for 'Team Clean Beach', who first gathered at Kozhikode beach in 2011. The group has been successfully carrying out the campaign with the help of ‘Calicut Walkers Club’ continuously. On a regular basis, a minimum of five volunteers clean more than a stretch of 200 metres every day, starting from the premises of Sea Queen Hotel to the Lions’ Park in the north.
"All the group members are employed elsewhere and decided to do something for the society that is in need of immediate intervention. People wait for a long time for authorities to solve their issues when they themselves can solve them by joining hands. What is needed is a willingness to serve," says Arun Das K.S. Mr Arun, a technical assistant from Vellayil, is supported by Muhammed Salih from Kuttichira and Razak Kinassery, among others.
They have already cleared potholes on railway station link road and YMCA Crossroad, apart from filling the deep pits in front of the Corporation office. On some days, up to 15 members come and clean the beach, when there is too much of waste piled up. Now, their cleaning equipments have been shifted from the beach premises in preparation for the Prime Minister’s visit. So these days, they are concentrating on city roads. They start their work every morning at around 6 am and continue until 8.30 am.
