Lt Governor V K Saxena launches special cleanliness drive in Delhi

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Tuesday launched a special cleanliness drive in the city that will be carried out jointly by multiple agencies.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and MLA Dilip Pandey were slated to be present on the occasion, but they couldn't make it to the event, civic officials said.

"The Lt Governor launched the drive with a symbolic sweep of a broom at an event held at Batra Cinema Complex at Mukherjee Nagar area in northwest Delhi. In his address, the LG emphasised that sanitation workers may be considered at a lower position in the social strata, but they do work of immense value in keeping our cities clean, and that elevates their position in society," a senior official said.

Kejriwal in a tweet appealed to all the MPs, MLAs and the masses to enthusiastically take part in the cleanliness drive.

"We have to together make our Delhi clean," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari also took part in the event, officials said.

Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Special Officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Ashwini Kumar, Municipal Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti and other senior officials were present on the occasion, they said.

This special drive, which involves MCD, New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Development Authority, Public Works Department, Delhi Cantonment Board and the National Highways Authority of India will be held as 'Jan Abhiyan' involving the public, MCD officials said.

"In this cleanliness drive, special attention will be given to those public spaces which get left out during routine cleanliness activities. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will carry out this drive with its men and machinery and put in 100 per cent efforts," the MCD had said in a statement on Monday.

Civic authorities on Saturday had launched a fortnight-long cleanliness drive and said that an action plan had been prepared to execute the work.

Special sanitation drives were kicked off on Saturday in all MCD zones and nodal officers were appointed to execute the work, officials earlier said.

The 'Swachhta Pakhwada' has been started on the direction of Delhi LG, the MCD had said in a statement.