Hoshiarpur / Daljeet Ajnoha/July 29 : On the fifth day of the Mata Chintpurni Mela, SDM Hoshiarpur Gursimranjit Kaur shared key insights with senior journalist Daljit Ajnoha regarding the mela arrangements. She revealed that, as a significant step toward environmental conservation, the Hoshiarpur district administration has implemented a 100% no-plastic campaign in all community kitchens (langars) during the mela. This initiative is being run under the “Chardha Sooraj” Green Mission in collaboration with the Red Cross Society, with the objective of completely eliminating single-use plastic from all religious food sites during the event.
She informed that more than 20 volunteer organizations from Hoshiarpur, over 300 volunteers — including 150 NGO members and 150 civil defense personnel — have been deployed in shifts across langars from Adampur to the district border. These volunteers are tasked with maintaining cleanliness, ensuring a plastic-free environment, spreading awareness among pilgrims, supporting waste management, and preparing daily monitoring reports throughout the mela.
SDM Gursimranjit Kaur emphasized that this mission goes beyond cleanliness — it aims to set a new standard for environmentally-sensitive religious events. She appealed to the media to widely publicize this initiative so that other religious gatherings can also draw inspiration from it.
To ensure the campaign’s success, the administration has established cloth bag distribution centers, clean drinking water arrangements, additional dustbins, and special sanitation teams. In collaboration with the Municipal Corporation, Punjab Pollution Control Board, and the Rural Development Department, eco-friendly utensils worth ₹5 lakh — including plates, spoons, and other items — will be distributed to langars that are unknowingly still using plastic.
She urged langar organizers to completely boycott single-use plastic and appealed to devotees to bring cloth/jute bags and reusable water bottles. Shopkeepers have also been requested to use eco-friendly packaging. Volunteers have been instructed to remain available to assist pilgrims throughout the mela.
“This is not just an awareness campaign,” she said, “but a strong step toward ensuring a clean and green future for the coming generations.”
For public convenience, the administration — with support from Reliance Industries — has set up a control room. In case of emergency, pilgrims can contact 01882-292570. The Deputy Commissioner has also urged devotees not to carry heavy luggage and strictly avoid traveling on the rooftops of buses. She assured that full arrangements are in place for traffic regulation, law and order, sanitation, and medical services during the entire mela.
