BHOPAL: His online followers know him as ‘Bittu Tabahi’. In reality, Surendra Singh Choudhary is the exact opposite of what the moniker ‘Tabahi’, meaning destruction, implies.For the past seven months, this 21-year-old BSc student has been a solitary warrior against civic mess and pollution in his hometown, Biaora in MP’s Rajgarh district, picking up plastic bottles, tangled weeds and other solid waste from Ajnar river, which had virtually become a dumpyard.With no heavy machinery or protective gear at his disposal, he removed the garbage with his bare hands, often at great risk to his health.Bittu’s dogged pursuit has helped restore a section of the river, earning him widespread praise across the country and an invite from CM Mohan Yadav Saturday. They had a warm exchange at the CM’s residence in Bhopal, where Yadav assured Bittu of every possible support from govt.The chief minister also shared a video on X, calling Bittu a “son of Biaora” who not only restored Ajnala (the river stretch passing through Biaora) to its original form through sheer resolve and effort, but also sent out a larger message that one man’s determination is all it takes to bring meaningful change.There were also reports that the CEO of an organisation from the Netherlands had offered him a job, but Bittu said he had only heard this from media reports. “I am yet to receive any information about it first hand,” he told TOI.Encouraged by his success, Bittu, whose parents work in the health department, has decided to expand his work. “My sole objective is to keep my hometown clean. I have decided to take my work to other public places,” he said.Bittu started his mission on Republic Day this year. Upset that everyone complained about the mess, but none – including the municipal administration – addressed it, the college-goer decided to get his hands dirty. From removing garbage piles on streets to pulling out weeds from water bodies, his activism eventually drew national attention.
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Unfortunately, his selfless service is being undone by the same people he is trying to help. In his interaction with the chief minister, Bittu shared the pain of watching people throw garbage into the river again, oblivious to the effort that went into cleaning it. “I don’t know why people keep dumping waste into the river,” he said, his voice betraying anger.The silver lining is that the local municipal corporation has now woken up to its civic mandate, and has deployed JCBs and Poclain machines to clear waste piles from the streets. However, the larger problem – habitual littering and a lack of collective ownership – remains unaddressed.
