Mallikarjun Shetty , a 73-year-old retired superintendent  engineer , is known as Anna Hazare  of Belgaum for his activism in protecting the environment. He was instrumental in getting the construction of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha shifted from Vaccine Depot to the present location at Halaga Bastwad.

Shetty, who worked with Maharashtra Electricity Supply Board, threatened to go on a hunger strike if Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was constructed at Vaccine Depot. The 200-acre land is full of trees and houses lot of animals and birds. He wrote many letters to the chief minister urging that Vaccine Depot be protected and came down heavily on the government for the proposed indoor stadium at the spot. He has also planted thousands of trees in Belgaum and also in Maharashtra. Shetty also creates awareness among people, especially the student community, about the importance of ecological balance. He has distributed nearly 200 eco-friendly bags to students and public. He is also credited with introducing door-to-door garbage collection in his area, which was the first in Belgaum city. The system was later followed across the city.

He also creates awareness on the judicious use of water and rainwater harvesting.

Every morning, armed with a broom, Shetty sweeps his locality and bus stand in Hanumanagar. Incidentally, Shetty joined hands with a philanthropist and helped construct the bus stand in Hanumanagar in 2003.

Sunil Basavaraj Nimbal, a businessperson, who was inspired by Shetty’s work, says: “He is a role model. Even at this age, he is very active. Inspired by his concern for the environment, I started using the bicycle instead of my bike or car.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hubli / by R. Uday Kumar, TNN / February 24th, 2013