Cleanliness drives were undertaken in various parts of the state capital today in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Ek Tareekh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath’, to mark the celebration of Gandhi Jayanti.
This initiative is in the run-up to the ‘Swachhata Pakhwada – Swachhata Hi Seva’ 2023 campaign.
At Raj Bhavan, Governor Phagu Chauhan led the drive in and around the official residence. BDR Tiwari, Commissioner and Secretary to the Governor, along with officers and staff of Raj Bhavan also took part in the cleaning drive.
At North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), this event brought together more than 300 students and teachers, who actively participated in a one-hour cleanliness drive.
NEHU Vice-Chancellor Prof PS Shukla, Registrar Prof SR Joshi and others actively participated in the drive within and outside the campus.
Shukla said that ‘Swachta Divas’ should not merely be a one-day event but rather a year-long commitment to keeping our surroundings clean and preserving the natural beauty of our region. He further drew inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, who consistently championed the cause of cleanliness and the preservation of nature.
Other educational institutions also held their cleaning drives, such as the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Meghalaya, as per directions received from the Union Ministry of Higher Education.
The Director, Registrar, Deans, faculty, staff, students and others participated, totalling some 250 people.
Besides cleaning the ground at Dong Madan, Lapalang, Mawpat, caps with Swachhata messages were distributed to all participants. The Swachhata Pledge was taken by all present who took an oath to dedicate 100 hours of Swachhata in one year.
Additionally, NIT Meghalaya will also undertake a Swachhata awareness rally tomorrow on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. The rally will commence at 9:30am from Lapalang ground to Rynjah and back.
Officers and staff of the Military Engineer Services (MES) cleaned the area around Spread Eagles Falls and up to Goraline and Demseiniong, while staff of the Umiam Stage 3 hydroelectric project under NEEPCO conducted a cleaning drive on the premises of the Seng Khasi at Marbisu.
