Over 4 lakh volunteers to clean 16,239 places of religious importance across the State ahead of Makara Sankranthi

Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project has been holding such massive campaigns twice a year

Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), a non-government organisation, has planned to clean the surroundings of as many as 16,239 religious centres across the State ahead of the Makara Sankranthi, January 14.

Over four lakh volunteers from Projects’ self help groups and other NGOs are expected to participate in the massive cleanliness drive that was conceived by Dharmasthala Pattadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade and his wife Hemavathi Heggade, said Project Executive Director L.H. Manjunath. The Heggades mooted the idea seven years ago with the belief that such activities trigger environmental consciousness among people.

Temples, Churches, Basadis, Masjids and other places of religious importance would get a fresh look with the mass cleaning activities from Saturday to January 13 wherein members of local self governments too would take part, Mr. Manjunath said. The programme named Swatcha Shraddha Kendra with the tagline, Nammooru-Namma Shraddha Kendra, is being conducted twice every year, on the Independence Day and ahead of the Makara Sankranthi.

The voluntary exercise involves cleaning surroundings of places of worship and prayer by removing vegetation and other unwanted things. Focus will also be on cleaning the interiors of temples, masjids, churches and Basadis. Cleaning of water sources surrounding these places — rivers, tanks, kalyanis, and wells, will also be executed by volunteers.

Besides cleaning water sources of plastic, clothes and other wastes, the volunteers will create awareness among people about keeping them clean, Mr. Manjunath said. Cleaning public toilets and public streets will also be taken up, while places of worship and prayer will be encouraged to shun the use of plastic bags and instead, use cloth bags. The project will also constitute a vigilance committee involving committed volunteers to ensure maintenance of cleanliness in these places, while providing environment-friendly baskets and other such things to be used as dustbins.