The malaise of littering and open consumption of alcohol at picnics in various tourist spots and reserves came to the fore once again after many Good Samaritans visited the Baghmara Reserve Forest in South Garo Hills to undertake a clean-up job today.
The cleaning drive within the forest began this morning with volunteers from Gokagre and Karukol villages. Even though one entire pickup truck was filled to the brim, the work was far from over.
Beer, whisky bottles and plastic chips packets were littered all over the forested area. The entire area resembled a garbage dump rather than a protected area.
“We will come back again next week to try and clear out the mess once again. There were thousands of alcohol bottles littered everywhere from what looked like parties that were conducted. Hopefully we will be able to clear the mess up the next time,” said Sengkush Sangma, who was part of the cleaning party.
Over time Garo Hills has seen several popular areas in the various districts become victims of littering, mostly from people looking for a place to party.