'I clean, they dirty faster': MP's Bittu Tabahi may quit cleaning river forever

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh's 20-year-old college student Surendra Singh Choudhary-better known to the country as "Bittu Tabahi"-is a dejected man. Bittu, who hogged international limelight for single-handedly cleaning up a stretch of Ajnar river in Rajgarh's Biaora, says every time he cleans up the river, people dump garbage back into it-sometimes almost immediately. The situation worsened after Dussehra, when fresh waste accumulated along the banks he had worked so hard to restore."I have been working to clean this river for the past year. Every time I have cleaned it, people have dirtied it again," he said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "I am starting to lose heart.""I think I should focus on my studies," Bittu said.Bittu cleaned river stretch alone, larger civic failure is now making him fight losing battleI don't believe I will be able to continue cleaning the Ajnar river any longer."The statement marks a troubling turn for a campaign that became a symbol of individual environmental action. Bittu's central argument remains simple: removing garbage is only temporary if people continue to throw waste into the river. Lasting change, he believes, requires citizens to stop littering in the first place.Ajnar, which flows through Biaora in Rajgarh district, had long been treated as an open dumping ground. Passers-by reportedly covered their mouths with cloth to escape its stench. Bittu began cleaning a stretch of the river on Jan 26, initially with a few friends, but soon found himself working alone, armed with little more than basic tools and determination.There was no govt order, no funding and no formal campaign behind his effort. He used his own money for supplies, entered foul water despite not knowing how to swim, and removed waste bag by bag. For a while, the results were visible. The stretch Bittu cleaned became noticeably clearer, and his videos earned praise from across India and abroad.But that recognition has not stopped the river from being littered again. His frustration deepened after he installed two dustbins along the riverbank, hoping residents and visitors would dispose of waste responsibly. One of the bins later went missing. Bittu clarified that the dustbins were meant for public use, not personal convenience.During another clean-up, conducted with the local Nagar Palika team, Bittu found an Indian national flag among the waste. He used the moment to ask a question that has become central to his campaign: "When will we understand our responsibility?"Those who have followed Bittu's work describe a young volunteer whose energy was once extraordinary. He cleaned without machinery, faced health risks and snake encounters, and continued even after criticism. But repeated relapse of pollution has begun to test that resolve. Bittu's exhaustion highlights a larger civic failure. A single student can clean a river, but he cannot police a town's habits, provide permanent waste infra, or sustain a clean-up alone.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhopal | Silver Rate in Bhopal | Bank Holidays in Bhopal | Public Holidays in Bhopal | Petrol Price in Bhopal | Diesel Price in Bhopal | CNG Price in Bhopal | LPG Price in BhopalStay updated with the latest Bhopal news. Download the TOI App.