Akhada activists apprise people of ill-effects of polythene bags

Tribune News Service

Haridwar September 3

Activists of the Maa Ganga Aahwan Akhada are creating about the ill-effects of the use of polythene bag among people as part of a cleanliness-cum awareness drive that has completed 23 weeks. A large number of people are supporting the cleanliness drive.

In the first phase of the cleanliness drive, garbage is being collected from Ganga ghats near Har-ki-Pauri.

Local people, teerth purohits, vendors, hawkers, traders, pilgrims and tourists are being apprised of the ill-effects of the use of polythene bags.

Coordinator of the cleanliness drive Rameshwar Gaur said the drive was getting an overwhelming response not only from local people but also from tourists.

Gaur urged local people and outstation pilgrims to ensure that they do not immerse idols, photos of deities, plastic polythene and ritual materials in the sacred river.

Activist Ajay Sharma said from Haridwar the Ganga flows to plains. He added the district administration, the Ganga Sabha and the Municipal Corporation were not following the Nainital High Court directive regarding the clean Ganga drive.

“This is affecting the world renowned pilgrimage city tag of Haridwar as millions of devotees and tourists arrive here every year. The sorry state of affairs of the Ganga and ghats is hurting the religious sentiments of devotees,” said Ajay.

Social activist Manish Bhardwaj expressed concern at traders and religious organisations that were directly associated with the Ganga refraining from contributing to the cleanliness drive initiated by the akhada.

Chief priest of the Mata Chandi Devi Kamlesh Kant Kukreti is also lending support to the akhada’s cleanliness initiative at Ganga ghats.

Akhada activists Manoj Keshtwal, Ravindra Thapliyal, Manoj Semwal, Nirmal Belwal, Nitin Dimri, Mayur Gaud, Ashu Gupta, Dr Deepak Sharma, Rajendra Joshi, Ankit Dobriyal, Vikki Kalia, Pankaj Gupta, Sunita Devi, Monu, Raju, Kankha, and Smriti participated in the drive.