HEMA MALINI LAUNCHES CLEANLINESS DRIVE

Vrindavan November 7 (IANS)

 

Cine star turned politician Hema Malini, representing Mathura-Vrindavan in the Lok Sabha, today launched a mass cleaning drive in the holy town.

 

The Bhartiya Janata Party MP administered a pledge calling upon students and local citizens to commit themselves to cleanliness which should become a habit and part of our lives.   A large number of eminent citizens of the town including local body chairman Mukesh Gautam and BJP president DP Goyal were present. She later went through the main markets to appeal to shop keepers and residents to ensure their town remained clean. Picking up the broom she demonstrated how it could be done.

 

The impact of the drive was seen at the Yamuna ghats. Students of the Bhakti Vedanta Gurukul alongwith the Friends of Vrindavan spent two hours to pick up trash from the river bank. Radhakant Das, the principal of the school said without follow up action taking a pledge would not be enough. Jagan Nath Poddar, convener of Friends of Vrindavan told TOI from now on we will ensure all citizens and students engage in at least two hours of cleaning the town every week, to translate Modi's dream into practical reality.

 

A number of other groups also have taken up the cleanliness business seriously.  Hundreds of volunteers of Vishwa Shanti Sewa Charitable Trust, led by Deokinandan Thakurji, cleaned up the Cheer Ghat and Bihar Ghat of the river Yamuna, alongwith the parikrama marg. The Trust has hired the services of six supervisers who will ensure cleanliness drive continues around Bihari ji temple, the Prem Mandir, the ISKCON temple, Rang Nath Mandir. A similar drive is to be launched in Mathura and Goverdhan. Thakur appealed to Brajbasis to stop littering around and stop others from dumping garbage in Yamuna.

 

Hema Malini will launch the cleanliness drive in Mathura on Saturday.