Bagmati Cleaning Campaign: 400th week to be observed in a special manner

Kathmandu - The Bagmati Cleaning Mega Campaign will enter the 400th week on 9 January next year. Plans are afoot among the campaigners and volunteers to observe the 400th week of cleaning the Bagmati River in Kathmandu Valley in a special way. Chief campaigner and former ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal in a virtual discussion on Saturday shared that the cleaning of Bagmati River and its tributaries were being taken forward without forming any committees and without any monetary assistance.

The campaign to clean one of the most important and revered rivers in the Valley was launched on May 19, 2013. He clarified that that there was not any monetary assistance from anyone and any organizations for the campaign. "We are doing it on our own selflessly. There has been no any monetary injection into the programme as heard," he underscored.

The campaigners had tied up with the High-Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization since 12th week of the campaign, one of the reasons why the rumours as such were doing round, according to Paudyal. Another campaigner Om Basnet spoke of the need to take forward the Bagmati cleaning campaign independently instead of forging collaboration with the Committee.

Similarly, the other campaigners stressed the continuation of cleaning campaign with the participation of campaigners and volunteers who are contributing selflessly to help restore chastity of the holy Bagmati River. They added on the 400th week of the campaign, fishery should be started in the origin of the tributaries to the Bagmati River.

They also suggested for coordination with all 18 local units in the Kathmandu Valley and mobilization of the local communities in the cleaning. Bhagwan Das Manandhar, a campaigner, had singlehandedly cleaning the river at a point of time until others joined hands with him, it was shared in the virtual discussion.