Chandigarh, 28 November – On the auspicious conclusion of Chhath Puja, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Satnam Singh Sandhu, spearheaded a mega cleanliness drive at Sector 42 Lake in Chandigarh where over 80 thousand devotees from Bihar and Purvanchal performed rituals during the grand four-day festival which concluded today with Usha Arghya (morning offerings) to Bhagwan Suryadev (Sun God).
Under the leadership of the Rajya Sabha Member Sandhu’s leadership, who was the chief guest during the Chhath Puja Festivities organised by Purvanchal Welfare Association at Sector 42 Lake, about 200 volunteers carried out a cleanliness drive at the venue to sweep up the waste generated during the Chhath Puja celebrations and restore the cleanliness in the area.
Wielding a broom, Sandhu, led the volunteers to remove puja (worship) materials lying on the banks of the Lake and collect the garbage scattered at the site so that the same can be shifted from there.
The cleanliness drive, which started at around 9 a.m. and continued till late in the afternoon, saw Sandhu and volunteers spruce up the New Lake and its surroundings including stairs, parks and parking area. On the occasion, he also felicitated Safai Karamchari (Sanitation Workers) by garlanding them in recognition of their invaluable contribution in the cleanliness drive.
While extending his best wishes to the people on the conclusion of the auspicious festival of Purvanchal and Bihar, Member of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu, said, “Chhath Puja is the worship of nature god. During this four-day ritual, we witnessed the divine glimpse of our grand tradition of Chhath Puja which is a great example of dedication, faith and cleanliness. I bow my head to this great tradition. I pray to Chhathi Maiya to bless all devotees, worshippers, and family members, who joined in this sacred celebration, with happiness and good health.
“The people coming from Purvanchal have played a big role in making the City Beautiful. So as our these brothers and sisters from Purvanchal have celebrated their festival of Chhath Puja at the Sector 42 Lake, now as a citizen of the city it is our moral responsibility to restore the cleanliness of the place. So we came here along with the team of volunteers to clean up the area in and around the Sector 42 Lake,”.
Appealing the people to keep the area and the ‘City Beautiful’ Chandigarh clean, Sandhu said, “As we celebrate 10 years of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s this visionary initiative has made the dream of a clean and self-reliant India a reality. We should continue to follow PM Modi’s path toward a cleaner, greener, and more resilient India. Together, we can achieve a Swachh Bharat for generations to come,”.
With active participation of volunteers, the Rajya Sabha Member, Sandhu, has been carrying such cleanliness drives in Chandigarh for the past four years so that City Beautiful can be established as number one in terms of beauty and cleanliness.
“We have worked really hard along with the Municipal Corporation to make the Chandigarh most cleanest city. As a result of these efforts, Chandigarh emerged the 2nd cleanest city among ‘big cities’ in the 2024-25 Swachh Survekshan rankings as compared to the city’s 11th rank in the 2023 rankings. So we have keep working hard on this and not stop till Chandigarh ranks first in the country in the Swachh survey rankings. So understanding our this responsibility, we undertook this cleanliness drive today so a message is served to each citizen of city to play an active in keeping our surroundings and public places clean,” Sandhu said.
On the occasion, Purvanchal Welfare Association office bearers including chairman Rajender Singh, senior vice president UK Singh and general secretary Bhola Rai felicitated, Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, for the cleanliness drive. Praising the initiative, they said the blessings of Chhath Maiya will always remain on Sandhu and his family so that he continues to contribute for such social works.
