Garhwal Post Bureau
Kedarnath (Rudraprayag), 30 Apr: Amidst the surge of pilgrims at Kedarnath Dham, the Nagar Panchayat of Kedarnath has achieved a significant milestone in its drive to keep the shrine free from plastic waste. Within the first week of the Char Dham Yatra, nearly one thousand kgs of plastic waste has been collected and compacted. The Panchayat is also preparing permanent pits for the disposal of wet waste, ensuring a comprehensive system of waste management at the holy site.
It may be recalled that the portals of Kedarnath, the eleventh Jyotirlinga, were opened on 22 April and since then record numbers of devotees have thronged the shrine. With the influx of visitors, large quantities of plastic waste, particularly water bottles, have been generated. Anticipating this challenge, the Nagar Panchayat claims to have already set up a Material Recovery Facility over 3,000 square feet to segregate waste into fifteen categories, including plastic, glass, tin and cloth. A compactor machine installed at the site compresses plastic bottles and other waste into bundles weighing 30 to 40 kilos, making them ready for sale.
Executive Officer of the Nagar Panchayat, Neeraj Kukreti stated that about one thousand kgs of plastic waste has already been collected in the first week and will be sold to generate revenue for the Panchayat. Other waste such as glass and tin is also being stored and will later be transported to Sonprayag for sale as scrap.
To maintain cleanliness, the Panchayat has deployed 55 sanitation workers who operate in two shifts daily, while another organisation manages cleaning along the yatra route. This coordinated effort has ensured that the shrine remains clean despite the heavy footfall.
It may also be reminded here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also appealed to pilgrims visiting Uttarakhand to refrain from using single-use plastic. During the inauguration of the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway earlier this month, he had again urged devotees and tourists to protect the environment and avoid plastic waste as part of his five appeals.
Commenting on this, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reminded that apart from being known as Devbhoomi, Uttarakhand is also known for its fragile ecological balance. The government has reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the environment of the sacred shrines, rivers and the Himalayan ranges. Continuous cleaning drives are being conducted through municipal bodies and gram panchayats along the pilgrimage routes. The government’s initiative for a green Char Dham Yatra has begun to show results, with Kedarnath setting an example of how faith and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.
