Civic body launches ‘Sewa Pakhwada’ in Karnal

The Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday launched the Sewa Pakhwara with the organisation of a Swachh Utsav programme at the Sector 12 market. A mega cleanliness drive was carried out in which scores of residents, volunteers and sanitation workers participated. Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand, Mayor Renu Bala Gupta, and Municipal Commissioner Vaishali Sharma, along with councillors, officials from various departments, NGOs, Residents’ Welfare Associations, Swachhata brand ambassadors, over 700 sanitation workers and others participated in cleaning vacant plots, parks, and roads, spreading the message of cleanliness.

As part of the programme, tree plantation was also carried out. Anand, Gupta and the Commissioner planted saplings at Fountain Park, Sector12, promoting the message of environment protection. Students of Government Primary School, Prem Nagar, performed a street play on waste segregation, while a large painting on cleanliness was displayed at the venue. Addressing the gathering, Anand said the Swachh Bharat campaign launched from the Red Fort in 2014 had transformed the country’s image globally. He said on the directions of the government, the “Haryana Shehr Swachhta Abhiyan – 2025.” and Sewa Pakhwara had been launched. The pakhwara will continue till October 2. Calling for citizen participation, he said, “Every resident must join the campaign to keep the city clean and beautiful.” He highlighted that Karnal ranked third in Swachh Survekshan 2024, but with collective effort, the city could secure the top spot.

Gupta also conveyed birthday wishes to the PM, calling the day a proud occasion. She said the Sewa Pakhwara was not a formality but a symbol of service, dedication, and commitment to nation building. “We must make this a people’s movement by actively participating over the next 15 days under the leadership of PM Modi, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini and Union Minister Manohar Lal,” she added. She urged residents to support Municipal Corporation initiatives so that Karnal could move towards becoming a “zero waste city”.

MC Commissioner Sharma said the idea of Swachh Utsav was to celebrate cleanliness as a festival, just like other festivals. She explained that daily cleanliness drives and awareness activities were being conducted in markets, public places, educational institutions and religious sites to bring behavioural change among the citizens. She urged residents to download the Swachhata App and upload photos of garbage or waste, so that the sanitation team could ensure timely cleaning. “Keeping the city clean is the responsibility of every citizen,” she emphasised.