‘Need for collective efforts to ensure Swachh JK’

Srinagar, Oct 02: As a part of the nation-wide campaign ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ under Swachh Bharat Mission ( Urban) on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the Department of Housing & Urban Development in collaboration with various stakeholders organized a grand sanitation drive (Plogging-Jogging with litter picking) here Tuesday.

The drive was flagged-off by the Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam from the Tagore Hall-Iqbal Park Srinagar early in the morning in presence of a large number of senior government functionaries, prominent citizens, members of NGOs, SHGs, students and other stakeholders of the society.

The enthusiastic participants, especially youth, students and volunteers walked through the Lala Ded Hospital, Maharaja Bazar, Amira Kadal, Lal Chowk and culminated at Sher-e-Kashmir Park. During the walk, the participants picked up the garbage on the way and also spread the mass awareness on sanitation and appealed the people to maintain cleanliness in the city and their surroundings. The NGOs had also set up Kiosks at various places to highlight the importance of sanitation and general awareness for the people.

Interacting with the participants, the Chief Secretary said that sanitation is mandatory to ensure healthy and clean environment. He called upon all the stakeholders to become part of nation-wide Swachhata campaign under Swachh Bharat Mission and contribute for the noble cause in maintaining the Jammu and Kashmir a neat and clean State.

He said only government efforts cannot achieve the mission of clean Jammu and Kashmir. “Entire society and all stakeholders have to join hands in this collective movement.” He asked the students to become ambassadors of the grand mission to spread awareness among the masses to ensure cleanliness in their homes and surroundings. He said “Gandhi Jayanti is such a sacred occasion when we all should take a pledge to contribute towards noble cause of sanitation and connect ourselves to the grand nation-wide sanitation campaign to ensure healthy and prosperous society.”

Prominent among those present on the occasion included, Financial Commissioner Housing & Urban Development, K.B. Agarwal, Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Transport, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, Secretary Housing, Anil Gupta, Commissioner SMC,  Hafiz-Ullah Shah, Commissioner JMC, ArvindKotwal, Directors Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir, Jammu and others.