The South Central Railway (SCR), Vijayawada division, inaugurated the fortnight-long ‘Swachhata Hi Sewa–Swachhata Pakhwada’ cleanliness campaign here on Tuesday.
Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Narendra A. Patil administered the Swachhata Pledge to the officers and staff at the Clock Tower Centre at the East main entrance of the railway station and kicked off the campaign.
The programme, ‘Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskar Swachhata,’ was part of the nationwide Swachh Bharat Mission and will culminate on October 2—Gandhi Jayanti and Swachh Bharat Diwas, the DRM said.
The officers and staff held an awareness rally from the clock tower to the Gandhi waiting hall on Platform No.1, passing through the DRM Office and the Jack and Jill High School.
Mr. Patil and branch officers participated in a plantation drive and organised shramdaan (voluntary labour drive) at the South Parcel Office near the railway station. During the shramdaan, around 100 bags of garbage was collected.
Speaking on the occasion, the DRM said 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, and during the drive, the focus will be on cleaning railway tracks in urban and semi-urban areas, removing silt in drains, and cleaning other public spaces. He said about 500 cleanliness target units (CTUs) have been identified for the campaign, including long-neglected garbage points and areas that are difficult to clean.
No polythene bags
The DRM urged passengers not to use polythene bags and to use only biodegradable materials such as cloth, paper, and jute bags. It directed the officials to enforce the ban on single-use polythene bags.
Later, the Bharat Scouts and Guides performed a ‘nukkad natak’ (street play) at the Mahatma Gandhi waiting hall, aiming to spread awareness about the ill effects of plastic.
On the occasion, Srinivasa Rao Konda, the Additional Divisional Manager (Operations), and other officers distributed cloth bags to the passengers.
Published - September 17, 2024 07:53 pm IST
