Pune: What began as a biker’s exploration of India over a decade ago has turned into a lifelong mission for Vickrant Siingh. Disturbed by towering garbage dumps that seemed to greet him in every city he visited, the Pune-based restaurateur and social activist decided to swap sightseeing for clean-up drives.
“The sight of a garbage dump in Delhi in 2014 hit such a nerve that I decided if I did only one thing in my life, it had to involve cleaning the country. From cleanliness drives at the Gangotri riverbanks to Kedarnath and even Nepal after the 2015 earthquake, Siingh has been involved in and organised campaigns in multiple Indian states. He set up a base in Pune in 2016 and conducted his first cleanliness and plantation drive on Taljai Hill, followed by Shaniwarwada and Peshwe Lake. About 400-500 volunteers clean a selected site at any time, and multiple drives are being conducted as part of an ongoing process. Second-year BTech student Tanmay Pise joined the group after attending a session by Siingh at his college in Aug 2025. Siingh’s passion also inspired 38-year-old Suyog Somwanshi to volunteer. In 2022, he was also awarded the Young Achiever award by state govt.
Because they know they need to do their part to fix the problem,” he added, they keep coming back.
Through that group, I started conducting small cleanliness drives in the states that I visited,” Siingh said. The problem lies in lack of accountability and missing awareness about how careless disposal of waste can affect overall health in society,” Siingh said. It is also a great opportunity to work with govt officials, learn from them and contribute meaningfully towards the city’s betterment,” Pise said. If someone like Siingh, who was not born and brought up in Pune, can feel so deeply about the city and work endlessly towards cleaning it, it’s a shame if those who are from here do not feel the same way,” he said. “Authorities have to be held responsible and must concentrate on clearing blackspots that get littered despite regular cleaning — but we as residents must do our bit, too,” the businessman added.
I had a group at the time called ‘Inquilab Jayate’, which was working on various platforms for the recognition of freedom fighters. The group welcomed anyone willing to get their hands dirty. The group’s focus now is to clean Katraj Ghat. For over half a decade, incessant and large-scale garbage dumping has haunted the Katraj Ghat area, despite attempts at monitoring and cleaning by both authorities and citizens. The pile-up of biomedical and biohazardous waste in particular has sparked health and ecological concerns on the stretch. “Every place we have cleaned has posed the problem of mixed waste, which makes segregating it and disposing or recycling it a difficult task. Biomedical waste along with different kinds of plastic is a big component of the garbage cleared from Katraj Ghat. To address this, along with spearheading cleanliness drives every Saturday, Siingh conducts awareness sessions in schools and colleges across the state. “I think once students are made aware of the situation on ground and see it themselves, they would want to not only change how they behave but also take the message home to their families. The younger the students, the better it is for in-class awareness sessions. However, most of our volunteers are college students who are shocked to see how dirty the hills across the city are. “More people my age need to be involved in such drives, as it is our future that people like Siingh are fighting for. Actually getting your hands dirty has a profound impact on one’s behaviour. “It’s not a lot to ask people to donate a couple of hours on a Saturday morning to clean the mess we have created. A PMC Swachh Survekshan brand ambassador, Siingh uses a part of his profits from his venture Itss Yummyy Cafe located near Nal Stop to fund the clean-up drives.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Siingh is aware that his goal can’t be accomplished overnight. “But change will not happen at all unless someone initiates it, so why not me? The long-term aim is to change mindsets about waste disposal. In the short-term, we hope to get more people talking about the issue with our volunteering efforts. This is, and has to be, a people’s movement to achieve any true effect,” he added. Download the TOI App.