Garbage Piles Up at Dumas Sea Face Days After Launch, SMC Launches Clean-Up Drive

Surat | Gujarat —- What was meant to become a symbol of pride for Surat’s tourism and leisure sector has quickly turned into a civic concern. Barely a week after its grand inauguration, the newly developed Dumas Sea Face has already been littered with garbage, forcing the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to launch an urgent cleaning and public awareness campaign.

The sea-facing promenade, inaugurated on March 8, 2026, was envisioned as a major attraction for residents and tourists. However, the enthusiasm of visitors was accompanied by a worrying lack of civic discipline, with plastic cups, food plates and other waste scattered across the promenade within days of opening.

During the inauguration ceremony, Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi had made a heartfelt appeal to citizens to protect the new public space.

“The government can build beautiful facilities by spending crores of rupees, but maintaining them is the responsibility of the people,” Sanghvi had said while urging visitors not to litter or damage the infrastructure.

Despite the appeal, the first weekend after the inauguration saw thousands of visitors thronging the sea face, leaving behind piles of waste generated by food trucks and tourists. Several videos showing garbage scattered along the promenade quickly went viral on social media, drawing criticism from concerned citizens.

Reacting to the situation, the civic administration ordered a special cleanliness drive to restore the area.

Under the direction of the municipal commissioner M. Nagarajan, teams from the health department launched a large-scale operation to clean the promenade and surrounding areas.

Officials said around 70 to 80 workers participated in the drive, including municipal staff, supervisors and volunteers from multiple NGOs across five zones of the city. Nearly 12 to 15 supervisors monitored the operation to ensure the entire stretch was cleaned effectively.

“This initiative was not just about removing garbage but also about creating public awareness,” a civic official involved in the campaign said.

To prevent the problem from recurring, SMC installed loudspeakers across the promenade and began educating visitors about responsible waste disposal. People were instructed to separate dry and wet waste and use designated dustbins placed along the sea face.

Officials also used the campaign to promote the city’s Dry Saturday initiative, which focuses on preventing mosquito breeding by ensuring water does not accumulate in public places.