District Development Commissioner (DDC), Doda, and Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA) today felicitated the female members of UMEED group, who voluntarily carried out cleanliness drive under Swacch Bharat Abhiyan on high altitude meadows during and after Kailash Yatra.
The felicitation function was held at Tourist Resort Sungli, where DDC, Doda, Simrandeep Singh along with CEO, BDA, Rajinder Prasad Khajuria and ADC, Bhaderwah, Dr Ravi Kumar Bharti felicitated the members of UMEED group and staff of BDA, who carried out cleanliness drive especially that of solid waste from Chattargala to Kailash Kund situated at a height of 14700 ft above the sea level.
According to CEO, BDA, Dr Rajinder Prasad Khajuria, female volunteers and staff of BDA collected 53 bags of bio non-degradeable waste en-route Kailash Yatra from Chattargala to holy lake.
“I incidentally met with the female members of the Self Help Group UMEED and during conversation, they volunteered themselves to be a part of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan during Kailash Yatra. I was not sure that the idea will ever materialize as Chattargala is located at a height of 10,000 ft above sea level and Kailash Kund at 14700 ft and it is an herculean job to collect solid waste on this sloppy track, especially for women,”said Simrandeep Singh, DDC Doda.
“It is encouraging to see the dedication and courage of the female brigade of the self help group and staff of BDA, who despite all odds, almost managed to collect all the solid waste,” the DDC said adding that this will go a long way to spread the message of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.
“First, we were a little apprehensive but our faith in lord Vasuki Nag and what we have learned in UMEED kept us going despite harsh weather,” Rana Devi, a UMEED volunteer from Gatha said.
Rana Devi said, “The overwhelming response we received from the authorities especially DDC Doda, is a great honour for us. We hope that society adopts cleanliness as a way of life, only then our Prime Minister’s dream initiative ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyan’ will become a reality”.
Dr Rajinder Khajuria, CEO, BDA, said that 53 gunny bags of solid waste collected from the high altitude was handed over to officials of Municipal Committee Bhaderwah for proper disposal
Later, all the female volunteers and staff of BDA, were presented with certificates of appreciation and cash prize.
The programme was conducted by renowned educationist, Arif Hamid Rana, while prominent among those who were present on the occasion included publicity officer, Sajid Khan, Xen, BDA, Tarseem Kumar, Mohd Akhter and Imran Khan.