District administration takes up cleaning drive at Sagar Island

Kolkata: Following the grand success of Gangasagar Mela 2020, the district administration in South 24-Parganas has started a comprehensive cleaning drive at Sagar Island to bring it back to its pristine self.

The state government and district administration had also laid a great emphasis on the environmental issues and made various arrangements for the mela, which were environment friendly.

This year's Gangasagar Mela had been demarcated as an 'eco-friendly fair' by the state government. Following the government's instruction, the district officials had made elaborate arrangements for maintaining cleanliness of the area.

After the Gangasagar Mela came to a close, the district administrative officials visited Sagar Island and inspected the situation. Local MLA Bankim Hazra also monitored the mela grounds to make sure that the cleaning drive was being carried out properly. Many local youths belonging to various NGOs as well as school students voluntarily came forward and took part in the cleaning drive. The youths and local conservancy workers carried out a massive combing operation on the mela grounds and picked up discarded materials and dumped them in the dustbins.

Before the commencement of the mela, the district administration had earlier deployed youths whose job was to hand over eco-friendly bags to those who were carrying plastic bags.

Banners were also put up at various points, urging the devotees not to use any plastic material during the mela days. The local administration also took a host of new initiatives to protect the area from being littered.

Those who were engaged as security workers also kept a strict vigil to ensure that the pilgrims coming from different parts of the country did not urinate and defecate in the open.

As many as 28 e-rickshaws were deployed this year, to transport the garbage from the vats erected at different places. Two temporary wet waste disposal management units were also erected on mela grounds.