Bhubaneswar, Oct 1: A massive ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ cleanliness drive was organised at the historic Khandagiri-Udayagiri caves on Thursday morning at 8 am, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attending the programme as the chief guest.
The Chief Minister participated in the cleanliness drive himself, picking up a broom and sweeping the area. Hundreds of sanitation workers and students also joined the campaign.
Addressing the gathering, Majhi highlighted the importance of cleanliness and recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a clean India.
“Mahatma Gandhi used to say that cleanliness is even more important than freedom. This was Gandhiji’s dream. To realise that dream, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving the Swachh Bharat Mission the highest priority. This is an innovative initiative,” the Chief Minister said.
Majhi said Bhubaneswar has become cleaner and more beautiful compared to the past, crediting sanitation workers for their contribution.
“The entire credit goes to our sanitation workers. They work tirelessly day and night to keep the city clean,” he said, while thanking the Housing and Urban Development Department and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) for their efforts.
The Chief Minister also announced that Bhubaneswar and Puri have found a place among the 50 model sanitation cities in the country. Sanitation workers from both cities were felicitated on the occasion. Majhi said the government would continue to accord priority to their social security and welfare.
Making an appeal to citizens, the Chief Minister said maintaining cleanliness was not solely the responsibility of the government.
“This is not just the government’s responsibility. Everyone should make individual efforts to keep their neighbourhoods, slums and colonies clean. Wet and dry waste should be kept separately,” he said.
Majhi further noted that Bhubaneswar currently ranks ninth in the Swachh Survekshan and called upon people to work together as “Team Odisha” to improve the city’s ranking.
He said cleanliness would be the first step towards making Odisha a prosperous and developed state.
