Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya flags off cleanliness drive

Ambala, October 1

Governor Bandaru Dattatreya today urged people to include cleanliness in their daily routine to keep their environment clean and keep diseases at bay.

The Governor participated in a district-level event that was organised as part of a nationwide cleanliness drive. He said that cleanliness work was not a one-day programme.

He flagged off the cleanliness drive, however, the drive witnessed a brief commotion at the Valmiki colony near Nahan House after a woman walked up to the Governor and expressed resentment over the sanitation condition of the colony.

She raised slogan against the local MLA Aseem Goel and accused him of not paying attention to the Valmiki community and sanitation workers. The security personnel had a tough time persuading the woman. The Governor was also seen pacifying the woman while listening to her grievance. Preventive action was taken against the woman, who was later released on bail.

The local MLA, who was assigned duty by the party in the Rajasthan elections, did not attend the event. However, the local BJP workers said that the commotion was politically motivated and the woman belonged to a political party.

During the drive, the Governor found a pile of sludge next to a drain. Expressing unhappiness over the situation, he directed officials of the municipal corporation to improve sanitation conditions and conduct a special drive to clean drains in the city.

He said, “Sanitation workers are doing their job, but we also have to change our mentality. Cleanliness requires a collective effort and we can contribute to keeping the nation clean by keeping our surroundings clean.”

Later, Ambala Mayor Shakti Rani Sharma said, “Despite spending a huge amount of money on sanitation, the city is not clean as it should be. The city can be saved from flooding if the sludge is cleared in time. The MC should float tenders on time and there should be no politics in the process.”

14-minute Clean-up for ‘vande Bharat’

Gurugram: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today joined the ‘Swachhata hi Seva’ campaign in Gurugram. He also announced the implementation of a 14-minute clean-up protocol for Vande Bharat trains. Highlighting the importance of sanitation for country’s progress, the Minister urged citizens to ensure cleanliness at public places. The practice will initially begin at 35 locations, with plans for further expansion in the future. Vaishnaw said that the makeover of the Gurugram railway station was already underway.