Students, Shantikunj volunteers clean Ganga ghats

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 20

The fifth phase of the Nirmal Ganga Jan Abhiyan by Gayatri Shantikunj commenced at Ganga ghats here today.

Thousands of Shantikunj volunteers, activists and students of Dev Sanskriti University took part in the cleanliness drive. Ganga ghats from point 1-20 (Saptrishi-Neel Dhara –Shri Ram Ghat-Malviya ghat –Markandey-Luv Kush-Vishwakarma ghats) were bifurcated into 11 sectors.

Spiritual ideologue of Gayatri Shantikunj Dr Pranav Pandya, while flagging off the volunteers, said, “It is quite heartening that previous four phases were effective and successful and now the drive is entering in its fifth phase, mission of cleaning Ganga and Ganga ghats in Haridwar is achieving its desired results.”

He said the cleanliness drive was started a year ago on the birthday of Mata Bhagwati Devi Sharma, wife of Gayatri Shantikunj founder Pt Shri Ram Sharma.

“Not only Gayatri Shantikunj volunteers but people and organisations from different walks of life are involved in this drive. Not only in Haridwar but across the country at hundreds of places, Shantikunj volunteers are cleaning rivers, ponds and natural water sources. Our aim is to clean the Ganga from its inception point at Gaumukh, Gangotri in Uttarakhand till Ganga Sagar in West Bengal,” said Dr Pandya.

Central coordinator of the cleanliness drive Kedar Prasad Dubey said apart from Ganga in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, the fifth phase was carried out at Adi Ganga, West Bengal, Tapti Madhya Pradesh, Shivnath Chattisgarh and Mahanadi Maharashtra.