‘Swachhata Hi Seva’: BMC holds mass cleanliness drive across 178 locations in Mumbai – Times of India

MUMBAI: As part of the nationwide ‘Swachhata Hi Seva‘ initiative, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) held a mass cleanliness drive across 178 locations spanning all 24 civic wards in Mumbai on Sunday morning.
The drive witnessed prominent figures like politicians, bureaucrats, film actors join hands with civic laborers devoting their morning to cleaning the city.
Speaking at Girgaon Chowpatty, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde said, “Cleanliness should henceforth be a mass movement.”
He emphasized that ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ was not merely about taking photographs but about fostering a culture of cleanliness throughout Maharashtra.
He encouraged everyone to pick up a broom and join the streets for the cleanliness drive, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath” ((One Date One Hour Together) initiative for a cleaner India which aims to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary which falls on October 2.
The campaign witnessed a large turnout of public elected representatives, film actors and artists at various locations across Mumbai.
Former cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, along with actors Neil Nitin Mukesh, Padmini Kolhapure, and Juhi where seen along with students from different colleges, volunteers from social organizations and resident associations.
In some areas, the campaign’s scope extended beyond cleanliness, promoting waste segregation, recycling, and alternatives to single-use plastics.
In Navi Mumbai, various citizens converged at as many as 267 locations across the city to clean the neighborhood with all safety gears in place.
Students, teacher trainees and special educators from Helen Keller Institute of Deaf and Deaf-blind also contributed their share with one hour of ‘shramdaan’ at the Sagar Vihar area of Vashi.
Bella Shah from the citizens group My Dream Colaba said that it was a very different experience as the cleanliness drive was not restricted to any particular area and everyone had joined hands from across various sectors.
“There were groups cleaning the streets at Gateway of India, Machimagar Nagar in Cuffe Parade, 4th pasta lane in Colaba. While everyone wants to bring about a change but does not know how it should be done. An initiative as such puts on track the need for cleanliness for greater public good. It was very encouraging to see such large crowds come on streets for a cleaner India,” she said.