Governor reviews sanitation campaign in yatra area

On the directions of Governor N N Vohra, chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, the SASB is conducting an 8 day sanitation camp cum cleaning drive in two phases of all the Yatra camps and along the tracks, an official spokesman said in a statement. 

Umang Narula, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board informed the Governor in a  review meeting held today that the sanitation drive will be conducted in two phases: from 16thAugust, 2018 to 19th August, 2018 and 25th August, 2018 to 28th August, 2018. The cleaning and sanitation operations in the yatra camps will be carried out vigorously under the personal supervision of the camp directors, additional camp directors, deputy camp directors and officers of the Pahalgam Development Authority, Municipal Committee Pahalgam and Sonamarg Development Authority, in their respective areas of jurisdiction, and the representatives of various state government departments and security agencies deployed in the camps. 

   

The CEO informed that one NGO, namely “Khalsa Aid” has also volunteered to help in carrying out the sanitation drive during the 2nd phase and will depute their volunteers to the holy cave, Panjtarni and Sheshnag camps for cleaning the camps, including the tracks from holy cave to Baltal and Sheshnag to Chandanwari.  

The Governor was further informed that General Manager (Works), General Manager (Sanitation) and Deputy General Managers on the Baltal and Pahalgam axis, shall visit the various yatra camps and both the tracks to closely monitor the sanitarian cum cleaning drive.

The CEO informed the Governor that keeping in view its commitment to protect the environment in the yatra area, the SASB had continued to carry out sanitation/ cleaning works right from start of the pilgrimage.  All plastic and other non-biodegradable wastes is being regularly collected from the camps, from the tracks and all along the hill slopes, and brought down to Baltal and Nunwan where these are crushed in the shredding machines specially installed for the purpose. 

He said the camp directors Nunwan and Baltal are devoting special attention to ensure complete cleanliness all along the banks of Lidder and Sind rivers.

Appreciating the good work already done to keep the yatra camps and tracks clean the Governor directed CEO to keep a close watch to ensure cleanliness and sanitation in all camps and along the track and particularly ensure against any waste/ plastic materials being thrown into the water bodies.  Governor further directed that camp directors, additional camp directors, deputy camp directors, CEOs of PDA and SDA and the head of each involved agency should ensure that all bio-degradable and non-biodegradable wastes, including plastic wastes, are disposed of in accordance with the Action Plan already approved by him and the yatra camps and tracks must be totally free from any waste whatsoever at the conclusion of the pilgrimage on August 26, 2018.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

7 − five =