Cleanliness and awareness drive at Churdhar peak

Following a ‘Shant Mahayagya’ organised at the Churdhar peak, the Pahadi Samaj Paryavarn Kavach Foundation recently conducted an extensive awareness and cleanliness campaign.

This campaign not only focused on cleaning the trekking route but also highlighted the issue of plastic pollution.

Foundation members and area residents gathered 400kg waste from the trail, stretching from Nohradhar to Churdhar. The campaign was led by Major General Atul Kaushik (retd), who currently serves as the director general of the foundation.

Speaking about the initiative, Kaushik said Churdhar was a sacred and spiritual destination, and a hub of natural beauty and biodiversity.

Thus, efforts to declare it a plastic-free zone and raise awareness about environmental preservation were crucial, he added.

The active involvement of local stakeholders, students and volunteers transformed the campaign into a powerful movement and such collective efforts were a huge inspiration in the direction of environmental conservation, he said. The foundation has also planned a tree plantation drive and has proposed a ban on road construction near high-altitude pilgrimage sites to preserve their sanctity.

During the campaign, which was supported by the SJVN, Kaushik interacted with teachers and students.

A painting competition focused on climate change and its impact on high-altitude mountains was also held as part of the awareness programme.

Kaushik stressed the importance of keeping the sacred site free of pollution, and urged the Chureshwar Seva Samiti and the Nohradhar panchayat to exhort tourists not to litter.

He suggested installing bins along the trekking path to manage waste more efficiently. In addition to cleaning efforts, discussions were held regarding the removal of waste from the Churdhar Temple area, located at an altitude of 11,965ft.

With the assistance of seven members from the foundation, 30 local volunteers and six mules, waste was transported to Nohradhar.

The trash primarily consisted of plastic water bottles, candy wrappers, empty packets of chips and other plastic packaging materials.