Several awareness programmes and rallies were held across South Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Saturday (May 16, 2026) as part of the “Swarna Andhra – Swachh Andhra” (SASA) initiative. Participating in the events, the Collectors of Prakasam, Markapuram, Nellore, and Tirupati districts called upon the public to avoid the use of single-use plastic in their daily lives.

Prakasam Collector P. Raja Babu, who participated in ‘Palle Nidra’ programme at Sajjapuram village in Santhamaguluru mandal on Friday night (May 15) and SASA programme organised on Saturday morning, advised the people to lead the State on the path of development by reducing the use of plastic.

Markapuram Collector M. Vijaya Sunitha, along with local MLA Kandula Narayana Reddy and municipal officials, cleaned the surroundings of Ammavari Sala Bazaar in the district. They urged the public to stay away from plastic items and to use jute bags and paper bags as much as possible.

Inaugurating an awareness rally against plastic at VRC Ground in Nellore city, Collector Himanshu Shukla urged the public to participate in building a plastic-free society. He said that the single-use plastic poses a risk of serious environmental and health problems.

Tirupati Collector Dr. S. Venkateswar participated in a programme at Yerpedu Bus Stand. He said that every citizen should act responsibly to significantly reduce the use of plastic as part of environmental protection. He said that the use of plastic covers, plastic bags, single-use plastic items, and plastic water bottles is extremely harmful to the environment.

As a part of the SASA programme, in-charge Municipal Commissioner Sharada Devi along with A.P. Greening and Beautification Corporation chairperson Mannuru Sugunamma, Yadava Corporation Chairman Narasimha Yadav, TTD Board Member Bhanuprakash Reddy, Nayi Brahmin Corporation Chairman Rudrakoti Sadasivam and others participated in another rally in Tirupati.