Many movements for Ganga cleaning have been undertaken by NGOs, spiritual and religious organisations and efforts are being made at State and Central level too.

All World Gayatri Parivar Shantikunj is also running a grassroot level Ganga cleaning movement — Nirmal Ganga Jan Abhiyan since 2013. On Tuesday, a Ganga cleaning drive along the Ganga Ghats from Har Ki Pauri was undertaken by volunteers of this organisation.

During Ganga canal closure it is much effective to clean the Ganga riverbed of unwanted material so the volunteers made a human chain to clean the ghats from Har Ki Pauri to Laltarao bridge.

From two-year-old to 90-year-old, the volunteers had shunned inhibitions and holding broom, scalpels and digging tools, they collected solid waste in the form of polythene and old clothes from the riverbed along the banks and filled the tractor trolleys engaged for this purpose.

This cleaning was carried out on all ghats of Ganga in the stretch till Laltarao bridge.

Haridwar District Magistrate Deependra Chaudhry also participated in the cleaning activity. He said, “Every social organisation must learn from Shantikunj to carry out cleanliness in their surroundings. Tonnes of solid waste was dug out from the riverbed today. Whenever we asked for assistance from All World Gayatri Pariwar, we received full assistance.”

The DM said sanitation workers of the municipal corporation should also learn the attitude of service while discharging their duties.

Hari Mohan Gupta who led the cleanliness drive said that the students of Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya also gave their full contribution in cleaning the Ganga riverbed.

Pranav Pandya said the Gayatri Parivar has completed three phases of this Ganga cleaning movement so far. “We have formed more than 1500 Ganga Sevak Mandal in all states through which the Ganga flows and made lakhs of people resolved to keep Ganga clean. We have planned this movement up to 2026.”