Purthu has emerged as an important tourist spot at Basohli in district Kathua. It is famously known as mini goa, formed due to back waters of Ranjit Sagar lake and surrounded by low lying hills of shivalik, the place witnessed a surge in number of tourists post-lockdown. The fastest growing challenge at this tourist destination is that of garbage and littering of the place by visitors like other destinations in the country. The condition of the beach is likely to suffer if efforts are not taken by the government and tourists visiting the place.
Dr. Parvez Sultan, hailing from Kupwara, is an active environmentalist, teaching as a lecturer in a GDC Basohli, along with his students, took an arduous task of cleaning the beach. They worked for hours to clean a part of beach and collected wrappers, beer bottles, plastic water bottles etc. The waste was collected by garbage picking truck sent by the civil authority. Dr. Parvez lauded the students who voluntarily joined him for this task to spread awareness among people and clean the beach. Addressing to the local administrative bodies, Dr. Parvez requested them to take effective measures to keep the beach clean by providing dustbins at the beach and formulate a policy to stop litter on the beach by the locals and the tourists. He requested that we need to lessen the use of plastic bottles as they are poison for the water bodies affecting the living organisms in the lake. He also appealed the vendors to stop selling plastic water bottles to the tourists as they drink water and throw them on the beach. Through this cleanliness drive, he asked people to become more responsible while disposing of waste when they visit such spots and maintain the sanctity of this beautiful place. Dr. Parvez said that it is only through collaborative efforts that we can keep our tourists spots clean.
