Sanctuary Suffers As Cleanest City Residents Trash Ralamandal

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore, celebrated as India’s cleanest city for seven straight years, is facing an ironic crisis its own residents are polluting one of the region’s most precious natural treasures.

In pre-celebrations of Earth Day, what was meant to be a celebration of nature turned into a stark reminder of the damage being done to it. A large-scale clean-up drive at Ralamandal Wildlife Sanctuary, organised by the Forest Department and Wild Warriors Indore, revealed an unsettling truth visitors, mostly from Indore, are littering the sanctuary without a care in the world.

Volunteers and forest staff collected over 10-12 bags full of plastic bottles, food wrappers, and other non-biodegradable waste during the campaign. What should have been a peaceful haven for flora and fauna is now showing signs of human neglect.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Yohan Katara, sub-divisional officer of Ralamandal. “People come here to enjoy the beauty of nature, but they leave behind destruction. Ralamandal is not a picnic spot — it’s a sanctuary for countless species. This kind of careless behaviour is unacceptable.”

The irony stings. Indore, hailed for its spotless streets and model waste management system, seems to forget its civic pride at the gates of nature. While the city has earned national recognition for its urban cleanliness, its residents’ behaviour in natural spaces tells a very different story.

Wild Warriors Indore, along with other participating groups, have raised the alarm and called for urgent measures:

Install More Dustbins: Particularly at popular visitor spots to reduce open littering.

Distribute Waste Collection Bags: Every visitor should carry their trash back or dispose it of properly.

Increase Patrols and Guards: To monitor and fine those found littering.

Create Responsible Visitor Groups: Community-led teams that raise awareness and assist in cleanliness.

Bottle Collection Points: Do not allow outside bottles and instead require a deposit for a metal bottle provided at the entrance. Encouraging visitors to submit bottles instead of dumping them in the wild.

“This isn’t just a one-day clean-up effort,” said Shrikant Kalamkar, a volunteer from Wild Warriors. “It’s a wake-up call. Indore’s citizens need to realise that our responsibility doesn’t end at our doorstep — it extends into the forests we so proudly visit.”

The message from Earth Day at Ralamandal is loud and clear: being the cleanest city in India means nothing if its people pollute the very nature they claim to love. It’s time for real accountability, stricter enforcement, and a shift in mindset.

Because a clean city loses its meaning if the wild around it is dying under its trash.