‘Clean India’ campaign takes off at Qutub Minar

A “Clean India” Campaign was begun Sunday at the capital’s landmark Qutub Minar.

“Since the Qutub Minar gets as many as 25,000 footfalls on a weekend, second only to the Taj Mahal, we decided to start the campaign here. Once we are successful here, we will take the campaign to the rest of monuments in Delhi, and later, across the coutnry,” said Amod Kanth, the director of prominent child rights organisation Prayas, told reporters.

The campaign is a joint effort by Prayas and the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

“The campaign is aimed at creating an awareness among tourists that the monuments are their own property and they have to be involved in maintaining them. As a part of the campaign, we will be educating tourists as well as employees who work here,” he said.

“At the moment, the tourists have a tendency to litter the place and deface the monuments. We have to fight this by educating them,” he added.

Kanth added that the Qutub area faces some unique difficulties which hinder the development work.

“One of the biggest problems here was that this area’s sewage system is outdated and is not connected to the rest of the city’s sewer systems. But now, the civic authorities are working on the issue. The public toilets in the area have also been renovated as a part of the campaign,” he said.

Later, a group of children from Prayas shelters along with volunteers performed a play and raised placards reading “Clean india, Healthy India” and “Please keep Qutub Minar clean for future generations.”