New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday led volunteers, social organisations and residents in a voluntary service campaign at Yamuna Ghat in Chilla village as part of the ‘Clean Delhi with CM’ cleanliness campaign.

Appreciating the volunteers and social organisations that participated in the campaign, Chief Minister Gupta said that the Delhi government considers public participation the greatest strength of this initiative.

She said that with the joint efforts of the government and society, the campaign would grow into a major people’s movement and give fresh momentum to the resolve of building a clean, green and developed capital.

The Chief Minister said that the Yamuna is not merely a river but Delhi’s memory, culture and lifeline. Keeping the river clean, pure and free flowing is not just the responsibility of the government, but the shared responsibility of every citizen.

She said that the Yamuna, which has remained a centre of faith for millions of people for centuries, is today facing the challenge of pollution, and restoring it to a clean and pristine state is a shared responsibility of both the government and society.

She urged people not to immerse puja materials, plastic, construction debris or any other waste into the Yamuna, and to actively contribute towards making cleanliness a people’s movement.

During the campaign, Chief Minister Gupta also interacted with volunteers and young environmentalists.

They informed her that the plastic waste collected during the drive could be recycled into benches, dustbins and other useful products for schools and environmental conservation.

Appreciating the innovative idea, the Chief Minister said the Delhi government would extend all possible support to such innovations and circular economy-based initiatives.

A young environmental activist also told the Chief Minister that he had joined the Yamuna conservation campaign after being inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

The Chief Minister said that the Delhi Government is continuously working towards the scientific, sustainable and comprehensive rejuvenation of the Yamuna, and that the clean ghats are a living testament to that commitment.

The government is rapidly modernising sewage treatment plants, setting up new decentralised sewage treatment plants, expanding the sewer network, and tapping all drains flowing into the Yamuna in a phased manner as part of a scientific and sustainable solution.

–IANS

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