CM to lead walkathon against chitta in Hamirpur on Dec 16

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will lead a walkathon to mobilise public support against the consumption and trafficking of ‘chitta’ in Hamirpur, said Deputy Commissioner Amarjit Singh while addressing officials at the Hamir Bhawan here yesterday. He added that after successful mega walkathons in Shimla and Dharamsala, the government had planned an event of similar scale in Hamirpur on December 16 and the district administration, police and other departments had already begun preparations for it.

He said that IGP Vimal Gupta had inspected the playground of Shaheed Captain Mridul Sharma Memorial Boys Senior Secondary School on Wednesday to reviewed arrangements for the upcoming event. He added that the IGP had instructed police officials to ensure all preparations at the school ground were completed by the proposed date.

The Deputy Commissioner said that to make the event more attractive, the Himachal Pradesh Police’s popular orchestra, Harmony of Pines, would perform during the programme. He directed the officials of all departments, heads of educational institutions and members of social organisations to ensure maximum public participation, especially of the youth, in the walkathon being organised under the government’s anti-chitta campaign.

Amarjit said that participation in the event was essential to transform this initiative into a mass movement and achieve the goal of making the district chitta-free. He added that the Chief Minister would lead the walkathon and thousands of participants would take a pledge of their commitment to eliminating ‘chitta’ from the district.

He said that the walkathon would start from the boys’ school ground, proceed through the Nadaun Chowk, Gandhi Chowk, main market, Hospital Chowk and the bus stand and culminate back at the school. He added that thousands of people, including school students, were expected to participate in the event and therefore, adequate drinking water arrangements must be ensured at all gates of the school.

The Deputy Commissioner said that cleanliness should be maintained in the school and sports complex restrooms and all repair work at the venue should be completed at the earliest. The Municipal Corporation had been directed to make arrangements for waste collection from the ground and the entire route. SP Balbir Thakur explained about the walkathon route and the traffic plan to be followed during the event. Additional SP Rajesh Kumar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Garg, SDM Sanjit Thakur and Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Sharma were present on the occasion.