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Swachh Virasat Abhiyan: Kite festival kicks off 10-day drive to preserve Lucknow monuments
The Swachh Virasat Abhiyan under the Swachh Bharat Mission was kicked off at the Clock Tower, in Hussainabad, with a kite festival, on Saturday
The Swachh Virasat Abhiyan under the Swachh Bharat Mission was kicked off at the Clock Tower, in Hussainabad, with a kite festival, on Saturday.
The drive is aimed at preserving the heritage sites of the city, and the event was graced by the mayor, Sanyukta Bhatia.
Neha Sharma, state director, Swachh Bharat Mission, said that the campaign will run for 10 days, from January 14 to 24, adding, “In a historical city like Lucknow, there are as many as 75 heritage sites to be preserved, the Clock Tower being one of them.”
She appreciated the sweepers and cleaners who despite the chilly weather, have been keeping the streets clean between 5 to 8 AM. Alongside the director and mayor, the municipal commissioner, Inderjeet Singh and corporators of other zones of Lucknow were also present at the event.
The mayor also pointed out that beginning the heritage site preservation campaign with a kite festival is apt as “traditional hobbies and sports like kite flying are steadily becoming more and more unpopular and are dying.”
She added to Sharma’s statement, saying that the Nagar Nigam-appointed sweepers and cleaners are so efficient that residents do not realise from the comfort of their homes when these functions are carried out, and have had to show videos of the tasks as evidence. Bhatia also urged citizens to not dirty or spit on newly painted road dividers and requested them to cooperate in this mission.
The municipal commissioner also mentioned that the ‘Run for G-20’ marathon, to take place on January 21, has also been included in this campaign wherein NGOs, CSOs, the NCC and other organisations will also be involved. A programme for the beautification and cleanliness of cowsheds will also be organised.
Many kite-flying enthusiasts were also present far before the event started and the skies were dotted with colourful specks of kites. Several long-time kite flyers from Hussainabad were also felicitated by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation.
Bhatia, Sharma and Singh closed the event and flagged off the campaign by releasing blue and green kites, the colours of recycling and cleanliness,
from the stage, while also warning attendees to be careful about the kite string while commuting on the roads.
The Swachh Virasat Abhiyan
During the course of the drive (January 10 – 24), 75 heritage sites of the city will be cleaned, and citizens are also expected to participate in the cleaning of ghats, ponds, markets, and other public places. Moreover, street plays, puppet shows and plogging activities will also be conducted at these sites, with the aim of making the city reach global standards of cleanliness, and making it attractive to tourists coming in from abroad. A special 100-day cleanliness campaign is also set to start which will be formally announced at a later date.
