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Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 24 September 2017

SRINAGAR: As the Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Bilal Dar in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme today, it sent waves of appreciation to this little civic ambassador. This Bandipora-born boy is a rag-picker who earns his living by cleaning Wular Lake. Likewise a team of volunteers led by the Coordinator CM’s Grievance Cell, Tassaduq Mufti have been working tirelessly to clean their homeland and making the valley clean and green. Interns working in the Grievance Cell have also started working on different projects related to keeping the environment clean and waste management.

Quoting an example of one of the interns, Majid Attar who is hailing from South Kashmir, Tassaduq said that he along with his friends and acquaintances joined and vowed to clean the track leading to Amarnath route. On September 2O, Majid along with his peer group left for Chandanwari to collect the non-biodegradable waste along the Amarnath route. The group of 12 boys, all students, collected some 200 bags of waste accumulated during yatra period which will be taken to Ganeshbal, a dumping site located in the outskirts of Pahalgam for recylcling.

The volunteers are being supported by Arastha Foundation, an NGO, which provide them all kind of support for equipment, food and assistance wherever required. Earlier, during the 2nd week of August, a team visited the Aliabad Sarai site on Mughal Road and initiated a cleanup campaign. Within hours, volunteers removed the carcasses, debris and weeds to make it beautiful. Likewise, a group of school-going boys installed cleaning kits and dustbins in Shopian. In a same manner, playground in Handwara and a canal in Pulwama were made dirt-free.  “Such attempts are wonderful examples of showing that with strong will and determination; we possess the capability to inspire others”, said Tassaduq Mufti adding that younger generation of Kashmir must come forward to help clean their homeland.