Punjab CM Announces Campaign To Clean Rivers, Drains

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday announced the launch of a state-wide campaign to clean rivers and drains in the state. Calling on the people to support and make the campaign a mass movement, Mann said there is no dearth of funds for this noble cause.

Addressing a gathering here during a function to mark 22nd anniversary of cleaning of holy Kali Bein rivulet, the chief minister said Punjab is a sacred land of great Gurus and saints, who have shown us the way to preserve the environment, according to an official release.

Noted environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal, who is now AAP MP, is known for his efforts to clean the 160-km long holy rivulet Kali Bein in Kapurthala's Sultanpur Lodhi. On this occasion, Mann drank a glass of water taken out of Kali Bein.

Mann also said the state government was making concerted efforts to enhance the green cover in the state, for which 'Shaheed Bhagat Singh Haryiwal Lehar' has been started. Mann urged people to come forward and support the campaign to make Punjab clean, green and pollution free.

Quoting from the 'Gurbani', the CM said, "Pawan Guru, Paani Pitaah, Mata Dharat Mahat" and said it explains how our Gurus equated air (pawan) with teacher, water (paani) with father and land (dharat) with mother. Mann said, "Now, the time has come when we must imbibe the teachings of Gurbani in letter and spirit to restore the glory of the state."

The CM said the Covid-19 pandemic taught the importance of trees, as people spent huge sum of money to get an artificial respiratory system in the form of oxygen cylinders. "Whereas, trees are our natural source of oxygen. So each one of us should focus on planting more and more saplings for enhancing green cover and saving our coming generations," he stated.

Mann said his government is also making strenuous efforts for checking depletion of ground water by ensuring optimum utilisation of surface water thereby reducing the pressure on ground water. 

Slamming the previous state governments, Mann said it is unfortunate that those who were entrusted with the responsibility of serving the state had ruined the ecosystem for their own vested interests. Mann said those ministers who were supposed to enhance green cover by planting trees did the opposite by mercilessly allowing felling of trees and claiming commission from it.

These leaders plundered the wealth of the state far more than the Britishers, he said. These leaders minted money illegally for their own interests thereby jeopardising the welfare of people, alleged Mann.

The "open loot" of public money by these leaders has derailed the development of the state and cast the people into a vicious circle of poverty, said Mann. The chief minister said the state government has launched a war against corruption to check the open loot of public money. 

The taxpayers' money is now being spent on the well being of people and development of the state, he claimed. Lauding the efforts made by Seechewal for cleaning of Kali Bein, the CM said the historic initiative taken around 22 years ago had acted as a catalyst in cleaning this holy Bein. 

(With PTI Inputs)