3 weeks ago
Eight youths drag dustbin 200km for cleaner Darjeeling hills
Eight friends in the mountains of India want their beautiful hills to stay clean.
They are walking almost 200 kilometers while dragging a big dustbin along with them.
They started near the border between India and Bhutan in a place called Kalimpong.
Their walk is taking them toward the town of Darjeeling.
Along the way, they talk to students, villagers, and people who work in tourism.
Their message is simple: put your trash in a dustbin, and if you cannot find one, carry your trash until you can throw it away properly.
Many tourists visit these hills, and trash makes the area look bad.
The walkers say the big garbage problems are for local councils to solve, but everyone can help by not littering.
More than two thousand homestays have opened in the hills, so more visitors are coming to small villages.
The group hopes their "Clean Hills Walk" will remind everyone to keep the hills clean.
Eight young campaigners are dragging a dustbin nearly 200km from the India-Bhutan border in Kalimpong to Chowrasta in Darjeeling to fight visible garbage.
The "Clean Hills Walk" was conceived by Dekho Darjeeling founder Migma Girmey Sherpa and friends in the tourism industry following visitor feedback about scattered trash.
The team began on August 7 from Todey-Tangta, reached Deolo on Monday, and is scheduled to reach Darjeeling on August 14.
Their message is: "Use dustbins and if you don't find one, carry your trash until you find one," shared with students, tourism stakeholders and village communities along the route.
The campaign coincides with a tourism boom of more than 2,000 new homestays in the hills, with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration's tourism department providing logistical support.
- Who
- Migma Girmey Sherpa, founder of Dekho Darjeeling, and a team of eight young campaigners from the tourism industry.
- What
- The "Clean Hills Walk," a campaign dragging a dustbin nearly 200km to raise awareness about visible garbage in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills.
- Where
- From Todey-Tangta in Kalimpong near the India-Bhutan border to Chowrasta in Darjeeling, India.
- When
- The walk started on August 7 and is scheduled to reach Darjeeling on August 14.
- Why
- To raise public awareness about using dustbins and reducing visible trash, protecting the region's reputation as a tourism destination.
Key facts
- Campaign name
- Clean Hills Walk
- Distance
- Almost 200 km
- Team size
- 8 youths
- Start point
- Todey-Tangta, Kalimpong (India-Bhutan border), August 7
- Destination
- Chowrasta, Darjeeling (scheduled August 14)
- Key message
- "Use dustbins and if you don't find one, carry your trash until you find one"
- Logistical support
- Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) tourism department
- Related event
- First-ever 10km night run in Darjeeling with 1,000+ expected participants on the eve of Independence Day
Quotes
Migma Girmey Sherpa
Founder of Dekho Darjeeling and organizer of the Clean Hills Walk
“"Use dustbins and if you don’t find one, carry your trash until you find one."”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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