Versova beach cleanliness drive to resume, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri tells lawyer Afroz Shah

New Delhi: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday met lawyer and environmentalist Afroz Shah and said cleaning of Versova beach in Mumbai will resume. [caption id=“attachment_4230411” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Twitter@AfrozShah1[/caption] Shah shot to fame after his cleanliness drive in 2015 managed to remove around 5.5 million kilogramme of waste in 85 weeks from the beach. He, however, had to suspend the initiative after facing harassment from some anti-social elements. “Delighted to meet India’s leading #Swachhagrahi @AfrozShah1 today. Overjoyed that Versova Beach Cleanup is set to resume,” Puri said in a tweet after meeting Shah. “Will take all measures to allow well-meaning citizens to join this unprecedented public service initiative. Vision of PM @narendramodi will resonate & inspire,” he said. Under the drive, Shah and his team of volunteers visited the beach every Saturday and Sunday and collected garbage. The garbage was transported by waste management department of the civic body, Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC), to segregation centres. The 36-year-old lawyer, who practises in the Bombay High Court, suspended the drive recently stating that his volunteers were facing abuse and harassment from some locals, and that the administration seemed lethargic about the removal of garbage. Shah is also a recipient of ‘Champion of the Earth’ award by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).