Comprehensive Effective Effort Undertaken for River Conservation
Bhopal. ‘Namami Devi Narmade’ Seva Yatra, the biggest campaign of the country undertaken to conserver Narmada River and against the environmental pollution has received wide villagers support on one hand, on the other it has been widely praised by the Sant-Mahatmas and intellectuals. They have also encouraged the people participated in the yatra to make it successful.
The 144 days long Narmada Seva yatra will pass through 1100 villages of 16 districts of the state. During the yatra, deliberations on environment conservation, plantation, de-addiction like important issues will be held. The Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has started this yatra from Amrkantak of Anuppur district from December 11. After that Chief Minister himself participated in Dindori, Mandla, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur and Hoshangabad. The Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Vijay Rupani has also participated in the yatra.
Message of Narmada Conservation will Reach Public from East to West
Narmada Seva Yatra has completed a total of 39 days on January 18. The yatra has covered 885 kilometer distance. Moreover, the yatra has covered 7 districts, 23 blocks, 245 gram panchayats and 253 villages till date. At present yatra is going on at the western bank of Narmada river covering villages Tingriya, Kajlas, Nanpa, Kudla and Anvli ghat. Presence of 7 lakh 777 participants has been registered during the yatra. A total of 253 Jan-Sanvad programmes have been held during the yatra. During this, 654 sub yatras were set out which merged in the main yatra.
Important Announcement of Chief Minister
The Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan made 14 announcements with an objective to conserve Maa Narmada during the yatra. Shri Chouhan announced to establish treatment plant at Amarkantak worth Rs. 15 crore, to construct pakka houses with toilet, to construct pakka shops, to establish sewage treatment plants at cities/towns situated on the banks of River Narmada, to provide money to construct toilet for toilet less families, to close liquor shops in villages situated on the banks of River Narmada, to construct Muktidhams, changing rooms for women and fruit route etc. These announcements have given significance to the yatra.
The Chief Minister Shri Chouhan during the yatar visited 13 places on Narmada Banks. He participated in Pad Yatra and Jan-Sanvad programmes at Ramghat-Amarkantak, Kabir Sarovar, Karanjia, Gadasarai, Dindori, Chabi, Ramnagar, Ghansore, Bargi Nagar (Harduli), Brahamakund (Bhainsa) Narsinghpur, Sandiya, sangakhedakhurd, Sethani Ghat (Hoshangabad).
Sants, Father and Moulvis Participated in Yatra Exhort People to Conserve Narmada
Religious Heads of all the religions participated in the yatra since beginning. Where Mahamandaleshwar Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj, Shri Chidanand Swami Maharaj participated at the inaugural of the yatra, from time to time Sant Sukhdevnand, Sant Vivek, Sadhvi Pragya Bharti, Swami Shri Kalyandas, Swami Shri Hariharanand Saraswati, Pandit Devprabhakar Sahstri (Dadda Ji), Shankaracharya of Bhanpur Peeth Shri Divyanand Teerth Swami, Shri Rambhushan Das, Saint of Punjab Shri Balbir Singh Seechewal, Swami Girishanand Maharaj, Rawatpura Sarkar Shri Ravishankar Maharaj, Archbishop Leo Cornelio, Shri Sudesh Shandilya of Karunadham Ashram participated in the yatra. Praising the initiative of Chief Minister Shri Chouhan, all the religious heads urged the people not only to link with the yatra but to participate actively in the yatra.
Intellectuals also Participated in Yatra
Environmentalist and eminent personalities of different fields also participated in the ‘Namami Devi Narmade’ Seva Yatra. Magsaysay Award Winner Shri Rajendra Singh who has contributed in the field of water conservation, Nobel Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi, Famous Film Producer Prakash Jha, Cine Actor Shri Govind Namdev, Dhrupad Singers Shri Ramakant Gundecha, Shri Umakant Gundecha, Eminent Litterateur Shri Rameshchandra Shah, Padamshree Shri Vijaydutt Shreedhar, Dr. Vishal Messi, Dr. Arun Joshi and Sar Karyawah of R.S.S. Shri Bhaiyyaji Joshi participated in the yatra. Eight Hundred and ten Eminent Persons have participated in the yatra so far.
11,791 saplings planted
Total 11, 791 saplings have been planted so far during the Yatra as a token. Horticulture department has set a target for plantation in 45,000 hectare area in next three years. Farmers have submitted 5540 promissory letters for planting fruit-bearing trees. Plantation work has started in 1,44,378 hectare area with the help of 1,18,085 farmer families of 882 villages of 292 Gram Panchayat of 19 forests divisions of 16 districts in eight circles on the both sides of Narmada river. Total 147 lakh saplings of teak, khamer, bamboo, gooseberry, mahua, neem, jamun and munga etc. of over 3 ft height will be planted.
Jan Abhiyan Parishad launched intensive public awareness drive
Resolution for de-addiction and Narmada protection was administered to eight lakh persons through workers, social leaders associated with village development committee and Chief Minister Community Leadership Capacity Development programme by Madhya Pradesh Jan Abhiya Parishad during Narmada Seva Yatra. Total 269 Narmada Seva Samitis have been constituted in Gram Panchayat located on the banks of the river. Different organisations contributed in arrangements for food and stay of members participating in the Yatra. Around 1825 social and voluntary organisations rendered services freely.
Work for conservation of the river, collection of traditional methods for conservation of bio and water and documentation is being done by National Innovative Foundation, Ahmedabad in colloboration with Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology. The publication in this regard will be released on the conclusion of the Yatra.
Four cells constituted by Chief Minister for Narmada conservation
Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has constituted four cells each headed by officers of Indian Administrative Service for Narmada conservation. The cells constituted are for plantation headed by Additional Chief Secretary Shri Deepak Khandekar, for making panchayat of Narmada region open defecation free and construction of changing room headed by Additional Chief Secretary Panchayat and Rural Development Shri Radheshyam Julania, reconstruction of Narmada ghats headed by Additional Chief Secretary Narmada Valley Development Shri Rajneesh Vaish and inviting experts and religious heads for the Yatra headed by Principal Secretary Culture Shri Manoj Shrivastava.
Many important persons to participate in Yatra next
Distinguished persons of social and religious fields of the country and the state will participate in Narmada Seva Yatra in coming days. Sushri Uma Bharati Water Resource Minister of the Government of India, Swami Krishnadhyapanand, Shri Suresh Khanapurkar, Maulana Lukman Tarapuri, Dr Subodh Sharma, Swami Shivanand Saraswati, Shri Bhayyu Maharaj, Shri Popatrao Pawar, Swami Kapri, Jagatguru Shankaracharya Shri Swarupanand Ji Maharaj, Swami Shanmukhanand Maharaj, Shri Kamalanand Ji Maharaj (Gaurawale Saint), Shri Sadguru Swami Krishnarnand Ji Maharaj, Shri Amritlal Bengar, Shri Divyanand Tirth, Shri Satyamitra Nand, Shri Gyanswarup Sanand, Swami Samvit Somgiri, Sushri Sonal Mansingh, Shri Punkrik Maharaj, Shri Devkinand Thakur, Shri Sudhanshu Maharaj, Shri Pranav Pandaya, Shri Shri Ravishankar (Art of Living), Dr AK Merchant, Shri Anna Hazare, Smt. Neeta Ambani, Shri Rohani Chaturvedi, Shri Manoj Vajpayee, Shri Anupam Kher have given consent to participate in the Yatra.
