21-year-old BSc student has been a solitary warrior against civic mess and pollution in his hometownBHOPAL: His online followers know him as ' Bittu Tabahi'.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.