Patna: Patna started its “Mission for Clean Ganga” campaign on Sunday with a massive cleaning drive at Bankipur Ghat, where 356kg of garbage was removed from the riverbank. The campaign is part of the “No Plastic Fantastic” initiative, which is being carried out by Namami Gange and Budko with the guidance of Municipal Commissioner Animesh Kumar Parashar.
Officials said the campaign will run for an entire month, covering many ghats across the city. The aim is to prepare the riverfront for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja, when lakhs of devotees visit the Ganga. During the cleaning drive, volunteers from Being Helper Foundation and the Patna Municipal Corporation collected plastic bags, small containers and other items often left behind after worship rituals.
All the collected plastic waste was separated and sent to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Centre for recycling with the help of Patna Municipal Corporation. This step, officials said, is important to prevent plastic from flowing back into the river and causing further pollution.
After the cleaning, an appeal was made to the public to avoid using plastic during puja and immersion. People were encouraged to bring eco-friendly items such as cloth bags, leaf baskets and earthen diyas instead of plastic bags and containers. “If everyone cooperates, we can keep Mother Ganga clean and pure during the festivals,” a volunteer said.
The organisers stressed that plastic and other non-biodegradable items harm the river and the environment. They urged everyone to take a pledge to celebrate the festivals in an eco-friendly way and to keep the ghats clean. The campaign will continue across different ghats in Patna over the next few weeks, combining cleaning drives with public awareness programmes.
