Drive to clean Chambal riverfront

The next time you visit Kota, you will certainly not find polluted riverfront of Chambal River which is the lifeline of eastern Rajasthan. Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has selected the Chambal River front where cleanliness drive would be undertaken. Similar drives have been planned at many beaches, riverfronts and lakes across the country.

A team supervising and operating the cleanliness has been already constituted and Kota district administration has been directed to launch the drive. Rs10 lakh too has been sanctioned by the ministry for the drive. According to sources, the ministry has formed 19 teams to take up cleaning of beaches, riverfronts and lakes across the country. The team for each state consists of senior officers of Union ministry, state nodal agencies in-charge, State Pollution Control Boards, district administration and other educational or research institutions.

The teams will involve school children, college students and local communities in the cleaning exercise of Chambal Riverfront. The drive will start with immediate effect and conclude on June 5 to mark World Environment Day. During this period, various cultural programmes, quiz competition, debate, awareness rallies will also be organised.

“The cleaning programme will involve students from various schools and colleges and will also include NGOs. Cleaning equipments such as brooms, baskets, gloves for children and dustbins will be provided, as well as transportation arrangements will also be made. The waste collected from the river front will be safely disposed off to identified sites, in coordination with local municipal authorities,” said a circular released by the union ministry. Kota district collector Gaurav Goyal and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vikram Zindal were not reachable on phone to react on the development.

Chambal river has been the lifeline of eastern Rajasthan. However, industries mushrooming in Kota polluted the river, posing a threat to the wild life here.

CLEANLINESS DRIVE

The ministry has formed 19 teams to take up cleaning of beaches, river fronts and lakes across the country. The team for each state consists of senior officers of the Union ministry, state nodal agencies in-charge, State Pollution Control Boards, district administration and other educational or research institutions.

The cleaning programme will involve students from schools and NGOs. Cleaning equipments such as brooms, baskets and dustbins will be provided, as well as transportation arrangements will also be made.