JAMMU: To highlight the need for saving the Holy River Tawi and to spread the awareness for its conservation, Tawi Bachao Andolan which has been working for the conservation of Suryaputri, Tawi and to save it from pollution and encroachments today did not allow devotees to throw polythene bags in River Tawi on the occasion of Ramnavmi. They with the help of JMC ensured cleanliness in River after people immersed Saakh after conclusion of Navratri. Prominent among those who were present on the occasion include President Sushpal Singh, Vice President Rekha Mahajan, General Secretary Abhisekh Sharma, Surinder Kour, Anju Dogra beside others.
Senior BJP leader and convener Tawi Andolan, Chander Mohan Sharma while speaking on the occasion said that Tawi, which finds a conspicuous mention in the ancient scriptures, and is hailed as the Heavenly Daughter of the Sun God, is a symbol of all the traditional values of purity, love of humanity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence for which this land of Duggar is known.
It is a symbol of the identity of the Dogra region. But, today, due to the apathy of the previous governments, and well-planned loot and encroachment by the unscrupulous element, this holy river is dying a slow death, he added. Sharma appealed to the people of Jammu to awake and fight for protection of river Tawi and other water resources and these water bodies are at the verge of extinction.
Adding further Sharma said that "we should take a pledge to keep the river Tawi clean and start its cleaning activity regularly which is the main source of water to Jammu city and is now being degraded day by day due to garbage disposal”. He appealed to the people of Jammu to cooperate with the Government to keep river Tawi and other water bodies clean and pollution free by stopping throwing domestic and other wastes into the river.
Volunteers apprised the devotees present there to perform submersion of holy ‘Saankh’ on the festival of Ram Navami today. The volunteers appealed to the devotees and the general public to keep the river clean and not throw polythene, waste and other plastic material in it. Members of the association and a large number of residents took an oath to upkeep the sanctity of the holy river which has religious history and is also known as Surya Putri.