Belthangady: A ‘Nethravathi Cleaning Drive’ was held here on Saturday, May 25, under the guidance of Dharmasthala Dharmadikari Dr. D Veerendra Heggade, Hemavathi V Heggade, D Harshendra Kumar and Supriya Harshendra Kumar.
Hundreds of volunteers joined hands in the cleaning drive held at the River Nethravathi holy bathing point.
The drive was held from 6 to 9 AM, wherein over 500 people including staff from Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatha Temple, women’s organisations, staff from Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), Gram Panchayat, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation(KSRTC) staff and many others from different walks of life participated.
Around six loads of waste thrown by the devotees and tourists were collected in a lorry. Three Additional tractors were also used to dispose the waste.
Speaking to media, Dr. D Veerendra Heggade said, “Cleanliness is very essential and creating awareness on it is equally important. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Swachch Bharath’ initiative has already found 50 percent success with regard to clean India. This must be inculcated in every house.”
“People coming from other states have very less knowledge on importance of cleanliness. There must be a constant effort to bring about a change. I am happy that so many have joined hands in cleaning River Nethravathi”, he added.
Food was served to all those who participated in the cleaning drive by the Dharmasthala Temple.
