Juhu Beach Walker's Group is a newly-formed group that currently consists of 112 members. All these members are daily visitors at the beach; they use the beach to walk, run and for various workouts. The entire group is extremely enthusiastic, and the members have sworn to ensure that the beach is kept clean and litter-free, with the help of BMC’s K/West ward.
One step at a time
It all started with their passion for the beach’s cleanliness. They started working towards it, from one end of the beach to the other, in bits and pieces. Gulshan Gandhi, the president of the group, shares, “When we realised that we need to come together in an organised way, we decided to form this group. For this purpose, as a form of initiation, we recently conducted a small meeting at the beach, which saw a donation of 50 dust bins by Corporator Dilip Patel.”
Aiming high
The core theory of this group is to work relentlessly towards keeping the beach clean so that when the walkers arrive, they are greeted by a garbage-free area. However, their long-time ambitious plan is to work towards the cleanliness of the seawater that is presently mucky. Another member of the group chimes in, “We want to make the water so clean that Juhu beach would be as good as the beaches in the Western nations. This will take more than a decade, for sure, but it’s worth trying.”
Hi-tech coordination
Apart from meeting and coordinating with each other in person in the mornings, the group stays in touch via a WhatsApp group. If any part of the beach is unclean, they click a picture of it and send on the WhatsApp group, which is then shared with the contractor. By doing so, 100 members are making the contractor accountable, as they await his response and action.
Another member says, “Our aim is to not complain and crib about the ward’s work; in fact, we are happy to be doing the work with their (K/West ward’s) coordination. They have already started working with us in tandem and we are satisfied with the situation.”
All-inclusive policy
Juhu-based activist Mehjabeen Barwani, who is guiding the group for ward-level coordination, shares, “We have decided to educate the food stall owners who work at the beach to create awareness about the necessity to keep the beach clean. We are requesting them to try and ensure that their customers put the trash in the dust bins.” This group has a special request for everyone who comes to the beach—do not litter; put the trash in the bins as cleanliness is also an individual responsibility.
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 "Juhu Walkers Group")
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