Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday announced the launch of a state-wide campaign to clean rivers and drains of the State, while also seeking support from the people to make it a mass movement.
Mann, addressing a gathering during a function to mark the 22nd anniversary of the cleaning of holy Kali Bein, said that Punjab is a sacred land of great Gurus and saints, who have shown us the way to preserve the environment. “Following in the footsteps of the Gurus, the State Government will soon embark upon a massive campaign to clean the natural resources in the form of rivers and drains in the State,” said Mann while adding that there’s no dearth of funds for this noble cause.
He added that the State Government was making concerted efforts to enhance the state’s green cover for which ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh Haryiwal Lehar’ has been started.
The Chief Minister urged the people to come forward in large numbers to support the campaign to make Punjab clean, green, and pollution free.
Quoting from the Gurbani, the Chief Minister said: “Pawan Guru, Paani Pitaah, Mata Dharat Mahat” which explain how our Gurus have equated air (pawan) with teacher, water (paani) with father and land (dharat) with mother. “Unfortunately, the word of the Gurus has not been honoured by us, as we have polluted all these three,” he added.
Mann said that now the time has come when we must imbibe the teachings of Gurbani in letter and spirit to restore the glory of state.
The Chief Minister said that the Corona wave has taught us the importance of trees, as people spent huge amount of money to get artificial respiratory system in form of oxygen cylinders. Whereas trees are our natural source of oxygen, so each one of us should focus on planting more and more saplings for enhancing green cover and saving our coming generations,” he said.
“The State Government is also making strenuous efforts for checking depletion of groundwater by ensuring optimum utilisation of surface water thereby reducing the pressure on groundwater. This year, the State Government has incentivised Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) due to which 20 lakh acres of the State have been covered by this method,” he said.
Mann also said that in another noble initiative, the State Government has given MSP on Moong to diversify from the wheat-paddy cycle and conserve water.
Slamming the previous State Governments for ruining the state’s ecosystem, the Chief Minister said that it is unfortunate that those who were entrusted the responsibility of serving the State had ruined the ecosystem for their own vested interests.
Elaborating, Mann said that those Ministers who were supposed to enhance green cover by planting trees did the opposite by mercilessly allowing felling of trees and claiming commission for the same.
“These leaders plundered the wealth of the state far more than the British Raj. These leaders minted money illegally for their own interests, thereby jeopardising the welfare of the people. The open loot of public money by these leaders has derailed the development of the state and cast the people into a vicious circle of poverty,” said Mann.
Pointing at the government's efforts to check the pilferage of public money, the Chief Minister said that the State Government has launched a war against corruption to check the open loot of public money. “The tax payer’s money is now being spent on the well being of people and development of the state,” he said.
Lauding the efforts made by Padma Shree awardee and Rajya Sabha MP Sant Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal for cleaning of Kali Bein, the Chief Minister said that the historic initiative, taken around 22 years ago, had acted as a catalyst in cleaning this holy bein, where Guru Nanak Dev used to have bath. Such efforts need to be replicated at a mass level to carry forward the legacy of great gurus, he said while assuring full support and cooperation for this noble task.
Welcoming the Chief Minister, renowned environmentalist Sant Seechewal apprised him about the efforts made for cleaning of the Bein in the past 22 years. He also stressed on the need to clean Buddha Nullah and Chitti Bein on the same pattern with active support of the State Government.
Earlier, the Chief Minister also planted a sapling on the bank of Bein. Bhagwant Mann also drank water from the Bein and said that he was blessed to have got this opportunity.