Pauri District Magistrate Chandra Sekhar Bhatt launched the national cleanliness awareness drive in the district by lighting the traditional lamp at a function hosted in the auditorium at district headquarters Pauri on Thursday. Prior to the function, an awareness rally was staged by the students from different local institutions. They shouted slogans, haling cleanliness while the rally snaked though the town.
Addressing the gathering, Bhatt stressed that matters like infection-free drinking water, latrine arrangement, disposal of garbage and daily cleanliness should be propagated from the urban areas into the villages and for this, the right atmosphere must be built. To protect environment from pollution, cleanliness is important and this will ward off diseases. The encouragement money are being given for the construction of latrines by the Swajal and Panchayat department, but this scheme should be centered basically in the rural areas where the people still relieve themselves in the open. Bhatt appealed for full cooperation for the success of the cleanliness awareness drive.
Chief Development Officer Sonika said cleanliness should be made a habit. Superintendent of Police Ajay Joshi said the thought of the cleanliness should be inculcated deep into the students from the villages as well as the urban areas through door to door drive.
Swajal Manager Sunil Joshi said this programme had been started in 2003-2004, but this had failed to change the long ingrained habit of the generation vis-à-vis cleanliness. We need is to work whole –heartily, he said, adding that the national programme will continue till 2019. In 2012, this scheme was launched in the name of Nirmal Bharat. The Kerala and Sikkim achieved full target, but Uttarakhand lagged behind Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.