An estimated three lakh people from across Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and another two lakh from different parts of Maharashtra, will be coming together to participate in a pan-Mumbai cleanliness drive on Tuesday. The members are associated with a Haryana-based spiritual group called Dera Sacha Sauda Sirsa-Haryana. They will arrive early on Tuesday morning and have vowed not to leave the city till they clean it entirely.
Heading the group, Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan will inaugurate the drive at MMRDA ground in BKC at 9am.
"Our guruji reached the city a couple of days earlier to plan the drive. The BMC has been very cooperative. Not only have they given us the required permissions to carry out this drive, they have also promised that they will provide the vehicles for carrying away the accumulated garbage," said Dr Pawan Insan, the group's spokesperson.
"Our volunteers are bringing cleaning equipment as well as food, so that no time is wasted in eating out elsewhere," said Insan.
He added, "This will be our 28th drive in the country and Delhi was the first location we took up for cleaning in September, 2011. We had managed to clean it up completely in 16 hours, so we are assuming that Mumbai will take lesser time. We will also install dustbins at significant points during the drive."
According to Insan, people from all walks of life will take to cleaning off the garbage, choked sewers, stagnant drains and toilets. He informed, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts in making the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan a success is an encouragement for us to take up cleanliness drives actively. We are starting with Mumbai, and will soon go on to other cities."
The volunteers have been divided into groups, each of which has been allocated specific areas for cleaning. For instance, volunteers from Haryana and Gujarat will clean up Goregaon (W), Dadar (W), Andheri, Versova, Vile Parle and Juhu areas. The Kandivali and Borivali areas will be cleaned up by Delhi volunteers, while the Masjid Bunder, Fort, Kalbadevi, Colaba, Tardeo, Byculla areas will be cleaned up by volunteers from Rajasthan and MP.
Volunteers from UP and Himachal Pradesh will clean up the Dahisar (E) and Borivli (E) areas, while those from Maharashtra will take up the Lower Parel, Chembur, Kurla, Ghatkopar and Worli areas.
"We have given required permission for the campaign. The volunteers along with the traffic police will ensure that there is no traffic congestion and the campaign goes peacefully," said deputy commissioner of police, Operations, Sanjay Barkund.
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