Cleaning drive held in Sonamarg

Srinagar, Jan 4: The Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA) in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Eco-Watch conducted a cleaning drive at Golden Glory Eco-Park, Sonamarg on Thursday.

A statement of Jammu and Kashmir Eco-Watch issued here said that the event was jointly coordinated by the SDA, Department of Tourism Kashmir, J&K Forest Department, Department of Wildlife Protection, Forest Protection Force, J&K Tourist Police and Ponywalla Association, Sonamarg, and several aligned departments.

The event garnered support from more than 150 conscientious citizens, locals, green ambassadors, stakeholders, and SDA officials.

The initiative has been named ‘Golden Glory Eco Park Cleanup’.

The effort aimed to start the year on a green note, which has aligned with the New Year's resolution of Jammu and Kashmir Eco-Watch.

The vision is to transform Sonamarg into a greener and cleaner plastic-free destination.

The cleanup also served as a milestone in the larger goal of promoting responsible and sustainable tourism with the concept of plastic-free practices in line with the theme of Earth Day Network - India.

“We have scheduled another clean-up drive on Sunday, under our Sundays for Sonamarg, which is planned at the Thajwas Glacier. This initiative seeks to restore the pristine ecosystem of Sonamarg and create a model for other tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement said. “We thank Jammu and Kashmir Eco-Watch for their acknowledgement and the support from Alyas Nasir, CEO of SDA, and his team, for their unwavering commitment to boost such initiatives. The collaboration aims to make these endeavours more lucrative and result-oriented.”

It said that the underlying objective of ‘Go Green Sonamarg’ was to fostering of plastic-free, sustainable, and ecotourism practices.