Mangaluru : As the curtains come down for the fifth phase of the Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan of the Ramakrishna Mission, the Central Market-State Bank-Car Street region, the busiest locality of the city, will witness a massive cleanliness drive this Sunday.

Mission Secretary and Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mutt president Swami Jitakamananda told reporters here on Thursday that as many as 23 black spots in the region would be cleared of waste and steps would be taken to stop further littering in those spots.

Individual volunteers as well as those from various organisations would join hands to make this massive exercise a success, he said.

District in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari will launch the drive in the presence of Belur Ramakrishna Mutt Vice- President Swami Gauthamananda, Nitte (Deemed to be University) Chancellor N. Vinay Hegde and others at 7 a.m. at the Central Market.

Started in February 2015 at the request of the Central Government, the Abhiyan has had over 2,500 programmes. Swami Jitakamananda said many doubted whether the cleanliness drive would last long in the initial days; however, determined volunteers and social organisations made the Abhiyan a grand success.

Limited initially to cleaning of streets and localities, the Abhiyan expanded over the years to restoration of public places and more importantly, creating awareness about cleanliness among public in general and students in particular.

Swachh Manas for school students and Swachh Soach for college students were able to create a considerable amount of awareness among the future generation, the Swami said.

Besides the massive cleaning on September 29, the Mission has organised a special seminar, Swachh Bharat-Samarth Bharat, for college students at the Ramakrishna Mutt on October 1 followed by felicitation programme for volunteers on October 2 at the same venue. “We are concluding the five-year campaign on the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma,” Swami Jitakamananda said.

Abhiyan Convener Swami Ekagamyananda said people were urging the Mission to continue with the initiative. While pot-composting and urban forestry campaigns are on the cards, the Mission would soon hold a meeting of all the concerned to chalk out the future course of action. Abhiyan associates Ranjan Bellarpady, Dilraj Alva, Umanath Kotekar, Sachin Shetty and others were present.

The Central Market will remain closed till at least 10 a.m. on Sunday as the Ramakrishna Mission would undertake a massive cleanliness drive in the region.

The Mission’s Swachh Mangaluru Convener Swami Ekagamyananda told reporters that traders were convinced about the importance of the drive. They should also know the volume of waste generated from the Central Market and its orderly disposal.

The district administration and the Mangaluru City Corporation have agreed to the proposal and have issued the necessary directions to the concerned, he said.

The pot-composting model for disposal of domestic wet waste might be the answer for eliminating solid waste from the public arena, said Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission’s Swachh Mangaluru convener Swami Ekagamyananda.

The mission has already distributed over 2,000 pot sets and another 5,000 will be delivered to residents. With zero wet waste and dry waste to be recycled, solid-waste management would get a new definition, he told reporters.

Currently an initiative of the Mission, pot-composting model could be popularised across the city if the Mangaluru City Corporation joins hands, he added.