Over 3 lakh volunteers unite to clean 14,049 religious places ahead of Sankranti

Over 3.3 lakh volunteers cleaned as many as 14,049 religious centres across Karnataka between January 7 and 13 ahead of Sankranti under the Namma Ooru-Namma Shraddha Kendra initiative of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP).

Volunteers from the Projects’ self-help groups, other NGOs, members of local bodies and the general public participated in the massive cleanliness drive that was initiated by Dharmasthala Pattadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade and his wife Hemavathi Heggade, said project executive director S.S. Anil Kumar in a release. The Heggades mooted the idea 10 years ago with the conviction that such activities imbibe environmental consciousness among people.

During the week-long drive, temples, churches, basadis, masjids and other places of religious importance got a fresh look with mass cleaning activities beginning on January 7 and culminating on Tuesday. The programme is conducted twice a year, on Independence Day and ahead of Sankranti.

Volunteers cleaning the premises of Subrahmanya Temple at Padu Panambur near Mulki.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The exercise involved cleaning the surroundings and interiors of places of worship by removing vegetation and debris. Volunteers also cleaned nearby water sources such as rivers, tanks, kalyanis, and wells.

Volunteers undertake repair work at Athrijalu Mahalingeshwara Temple during the Namma Ooru-Namma Shraddha Kendra initiative ahead of Sankranti, in Kokradi-Naravi, Belthangady taluk.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Volunteers not only cleaned water sources of plastic, clothes and waste but also raised awareness about maintaining cleanliness, Mr. Kumar said. Volunteers also cleaned public toilets and streets, and encouraged places of worship to shun the use of plastic bags and replace them with cloth bags.