On PM Modi’s Appeal, Pilgrims, Government Agencies, NGOs Undertake Cleanliness Drive Near Kedarnath Dham

Rudraprayag: Following PM Narendra Modi’s appeal to people to ensure cleanliness at pilgrimage sites, pilgrims, government and non-government agencies organised a cleanliness drive near Kedarnath Dham on Tuesday (May 31). Rudraprayag district magistrate Mayur Dixit said the administration would continuously monitor the situation of waste management. As a result, garbage strewn in Kedarnath and surrounding areas is now getting cleared. On Tuesday morning, the district administration and staff of Sulabh International, an organization working on environment preservation, collected tonnes of garbage from the Kedarnath area.

Also Read: Char Dham Yatra: Environmentalists Flag Concerns Over Threat To Uttarakhand’s Exotic Herbs

Tourists took part in a cleanliness drive on the way to Gaurikund, Sonprayag and Kedarnath. Geographically, Sonprayag is located between Rudraprayag and Gaurikund en route to Kedarnath.

Referring to the filth spread by some pilgrims during the Char-Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Modi on Sunday had appealed to people to maintain the dignity of pilgrimage sites.

Speaking to ANI on this development, Dr Sarvesh Uniyal, an official of Garhwal University’s Tourism Department said,

These days, we are witnessing a huge influx of tourists at pilgrimage sites. Following this, a significant part of the environment is impacted. People throw away plastic recklessly here and there.

“Knowing this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to the people to maintain dignity of pilgrimage sites. I feel that we all have to act responsibly to protect the environment. Teerth yatra should be teerth seva as well”, he said.

Also Read: Cleanliness And Health Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin: Kiran Bedi

District Magistrate Mayur Dixit also urged people to maintain cleanliness in the state.

In his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister pointed out that thousands of devotees arriving in the state for the Char Dham Yatra see filth being spread by some pilgrims in Kedarnath. In this regard, I have ordered the concerned officials to ensure proper waste management at the pilgrimage sites, Mr Dixit said.

Mr Dixit pointed out that a cleanliness drive is also being carried out at Gaurikund, Sonprayag and Kedarnath areas wherein large amounts of waste have been collected.

We will carry out cleanliness drives at the pilgrimage sites on a regular basis from now onwards, he said.

The Prime Minister had appealed in his address that “Wherever we go, let us maintain the dignity of these pilgrimage sites”.

We should never neglect purity, cleanliness and the environment. For these, it is imperative that we abide by the norms of cleanliness. In a few days the world will celebrate Environment Day on June 5. We should run clean environment campaigns and this is a never ending task. This time, you should join others — you should make some effort for cleanliness and tree plantation. Plant a tree yourself and inspire others too, he said.

Also Read: India Firmly Believes In Fulfilling Its Climate Commitments Made Under UN Framework: Union Minister Smriti Irani

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.