Pashupati clean-up campaign going strong

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 17: The Pashupati Clean-Up Mega Campaign launched since March 11 this year, marked its sixth week this Saturday.  Like every week, the cleaning of Pashupati area continued on Saturday in the presence of Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati.

As a part of the campaign, more than 300 campaigners and volunteers from various organisations cleaned up the southern section of Pashupatinath temple, Bankali jungle, Mrigasthali, Guheshwori Temple and its surrounding heritage sites.

On the occasion, Minister Kirati picked up trash and collected it in trash bags. Seeing him doing so, some visitors and devotees also lent their hand in the campaign and helped the campaigners collect trash from the Pashupati area, the world heritage site.   Since the beginning of the campaign, every Saturday, the campaigners and volunteers from various organisations have been collecting tonnes of garbage from the area.

The campaigners collected two trucks of garbage from various sections of Pashupati area on Saturday. 

“Most the trash collected from the area was non-biodegradable,” said Ghanasyahm Khatiwada, Executive Director of Pashupati Development Trust (PADT).

Two to three trucks of garbage was being collected during the clean-up campaign every Saturday, he added.

On the sixth week of the clean-up campaign, the areas of Pashupati and Guheshwori temple and the surrounding heritage sites were cleaned up this Saturday, said Khatiwada.

He said the PADT was working to keep the temple premises always clean, adding that they were committed to giving continuity to the clean-up campaign.  Khatiwada also called on all devotees and visitors to help PADT keep the Pashupati and its surrounding areas clean.

“We have been discouraging the shops located near the Pashupati area to use polythene bags,” he added.

According to him, a noticeable change was seen in the Pashupati area after the campaign was launched. “Devotees and visitors are more aware now.” Ghanashyam Guatam, one of the volunteers who was busy collecting trash from the Bankali jungle with his hand covered with gloves, said while engaging in the clean-up  campaign in the Pashupati area in a group, they got satisfaction as the heritage sites like Pashupati were looking clean.

Gautam, who has been participating in the clean-up campaign almost every week since it began, said Pashupati is an important religious and cultural site of Nepal, so it was necessary to keep  it  clean.

More than 300 people, including the officials of the PADT, personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, local devotees, office bearers and employees of 21 subordinate bodies, including the Nepal Tourism Board, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Nepal Airlines Corporation, among others, participated in the campaign on Saturday.

A three-month Pashupati Cleaning Mega Campaign was launched on March 11 this year in the initiative of Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kirati.

Minister Kirati initiated the campaign citing that Pashupatinath temple, a centre of faith of Vedic Sanatan Hinduism in the world, should always be kept clean and holy.