Over 500 citizens join Bengaluru park clean-up drives

Over 500 residents turned up on Sunday for the second week of the #IamBengaluru, Volunteer for Parks initiative, participating in sapling plantation, plogging, and park clean-ups at JP Nagar, Koramangala, and Rajajinagar. Former India cricketer and ICC match referee Javagal Srinath joined a plogging drive at Mini Forest in JP Nagar Phase 3, interacting with volunteers on caring for the city's green spaces. The initiative is supported by the Greater Bengaluru Authority.

Separately, herpetologist Yashas Bharadwaj and former geology professor TJ Renukaprasad have been leading free weekly nature walks at the Bangalore University Bio Park for the past 63 Sundays. The walks aim to introduce citizens to the park's biodiversity, which includes nearly 1,000 tree varieties and 180 bird species, and build public support for conservation. Bharadwaj said legal interventions alone would not secure the park's future, adding that real protection must come from citizens who understand the ecosystem's value.

The #IamBengaluru movement also saw creative demonstrations by the Women of Wisdom group, including a street-theatre performance highlighting the problem of single-use plastic. Volunteers included families, first-time participants, and members of NGOs such as Youth for Seva and Adamya Chetana Foundation. Organisers said the initiative is about building lasting civic ownership, with Javagal Srinath calling it a holistic programme and a work in progress. Opportunities to volunteer are listed at iambengaluru.co.in.