This Durga Puja celebrations, Meghalaya adopts Modi’s ‘swachh’ mantra

As a part of Durga Puja celebrations, Meghalaya has adopted PM Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Shillong, Sep 22: The entire Northeast region is soaked in festivities as it kick-started the nine-day long Durga Puja celebrations.

However, this Durga Puja is extra special for Meghalaya as the officials want to portray a clean image of the state, on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), during the festival times.

The authorities along with festival organisers are attempting to improve the state's all-India cleanliness ranking during the Durga Puja times. As per the Swachh Survekshan 2017, Shillong ranks 276th out of 434 cities and towns across the country.

To keep all the places spick and span during the festival times won't be an easy task as hundreds of pandals have been erected across the state, but Durga Puja organisers are determined to do so.

According to an estimate there are around 231 community Puja pandals across the state with 112 in the Khasi hills, 11 in the Jaintia hills and 107 in Garo hills. Of these, Shillong itself is hosting 64 community Pujas. The celebrations will begin from September 26 to September 30.

The festival organisers have been asked to keep garbage vats in their respective pandals by the Central Puja Committee (CPC), a representative body of the Hindu religious groups in the state.

General secretary of the CPC, JL Das, said cleanliness would be maintained to the maximum possible extent not only at the pandals but also at the immersion zones across the state.

OneIndia News