A large scale cleaning campaign was conducted in Sanchi under the Clean Tourism Campaign. MP Tourism announced that now such a campaign will be run at one tourist destination of the state every month.
Sanchi/Bhopal. A large scale cleanliness campaign was conducted on Saturday under the ‘Clean Tourism Campaign’ in the world famous UNESCO World Heritage Site Sanchi. The campaign was jointly organized by Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) and Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Gram Panchayat, local citizens, people associated with tourism business, sanitation workers, NCC students and a large number of volunteers participated in it.
The main objective of this initiative is to make the major tourist destinations of the state clean, environment-friendly and single-use plastic free. Besides, emphasis was laid on making the local people a campaign of public participation by involving them in the clean tourism campaign.
Big announcement by MP Tourism Board, clean tourism campaign will run every month
Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Dr. Ilaiyaraaja T. said that this campaign started from Sanchi is not just a one-day activity, but it will be taken forward continuously. Now every month a similar cleanliness campaign will be organized at some major tourist destination of the state. He said that the government’s goal is not limited to cleaning historical monuments only, but work is being done towards making the entire Madhya Pradesh the cleanest state in the country.
Sanchi’s special identity, conservation and cleanliness both necessary
Dr. Ilaiyaraaja T. said that Sanchi is the country’s first solar city and one of the most sacred places in the world for followers of Buddhism. Every year a large number of devotees and tourists from India and abroad reach here. Cleanliness and conservation of such World Heritage Sites is the shared responsibility of everyone.
He said that cleanliness of tourist places can be maintained for a long time only when local citizens, shopkeepers, tourists and administration jointly take responsibility for it. Clean tourism can be made a mass movement by adopting environment-friendly options.
Campaign started with cleanliness pledge
The program started with the cleanliness pledge. All the participants pledged to keep the tourist places clean, beautiful and plastic free. After this, mass Shramdaan was done in the Sanchi Stupa complex. During this, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, ASI, Gram Panchayat, sanitation workers, tourism stakeholders, local citizens, NCC students and volunteers together cleaned the entire complex. New dustbins were also installed on the campus to improve waste management.
Cloth bags given to shopkeepers, appeal to give up plastic
During the campaign, cloth bags were distributed to nearby shopkeepers with the aim of environmental protection and reducing plastic pollution. They were motivated to stop using single-use plastic and adopt eco-friendly alternatives. After this the participants took out a cleanliness march till Jambu Dweep Park. Through this march, the message of responsible tourism, cleanliness and environmental protection was given to the local people and tourists.
Students gave the message of clean tourism through painting
With the aim of connecting the new generation with the cleanliness campaign, a painting competition on the topic “Clean Tourism-Clean India” was organized in the school of excellence, Sanchi. Students gave the message of clean tourism and environmental protection through their creative paintings. Students who performed better in the competition were honored with prizes and certificates.
IATO said- Clean tourism will strengthen India’s global identity.
IATO President Ravi Gosain said that cleanliness of tourist destinations strengthens India’s positive global image. If our tourist places are clean then India’s identity in the world will become better. He said that “Clean Tourism, Pride of the Country” is not just a slogan but a resolution of public participation. It is the responsibility of all of us to make people aware about cleanliness. He called upon the students to continue this campaign further and said that in future such campaigns will be run at other major tourist destinations of Madhya Pradesh also.
Many officials and local representatives were present in the program
Dr. Shivkant Bajpai, Superintending Archaeologist of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Vinay Tyagi, Honorary Joint Secretary of IATO, Mahendra Pratap Singh, President of IATO Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Chapter, Tourism Department officials, Gram Panchayat representatives, local citizens, sanitation workers, NCC students and many representatives associated with the tourism industry were present in the program.