Bengaluru’s Turahalli Forest saw a community-led cleanliness drive on Saturday, with 21-year-old environmentalist Surendra Singh Choudhary, known as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, joining local residents, civic organisations and citizen collectives near BSK 6th Stage. Environmentalist and retired Indian Forest Service officer AN Yellappa Reddy also took part in the initiative.
The drive was carried out in collaboration with Bengaluru-based lifestyle brand Ecological Drive. It brought together residents and environmental groups for a public-space cleanup at Turahalli Forest, one of the city’s green areas located near the rapidly urbanising southern Bengaluru corridor.
Choudhary became known after documenting his efforts to clean the heavily polluted Ajnar River in Biaora in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district. He began the work on January 26 and spent around Rs 30,000 of his own money on basic tools and supplies. According to the report, he cleaned three major ghats despite not having proper protective equipment or knowing how to swim.
The Ajnar campaign later attracted public attention from industrialist Anand Mahindra and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen described the cleanup as “heroic” and said it deserved international recognition.
The campaign also led to an offer from Boyan Slat, founder and chief executive officer of the Netherlands-based environmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup. Choudhary told The Times of India that Slat had contacted him and taken down his credentials, although the exact role had not yet been discussed.
The response to his river-cleaning effort extended beyond public recognition. The Biaora municipal corporation subsequently deployed JCB and Poclain machines to remove accumulated waste and polythene from the Ajnar River. The development showed how a citizen-led cleanup could draw attention to waste accumulation in a public waterway and prompt municipal machinery to intervene.
Choudhary has since said that his environmental work is not limited to the Ajnar River and that he intends to take it to other public spaces. His participation in the Turahalli Forest drive marks that wider effort in Bengaluru, where the maintenance of urban green spaces depends on the coordination of residents, civic organisations, municipal agencies and other local stakeholders.
The Turahalli initiative was conducted with local participation, but the report did not specify the quantity or type of waste removed, the number of volunteers involved, or any follow-up maintenance arrangement for the forest. No further implementation timeline was provided.
