ITANAGAR, 2 Oct: About 50 cyclists and hundreds of students participated in cyclothon and walkathon events themed ‘Freedom to walk and cycle’, organized here by the Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (ISCDCL) in collaboration with the ICR administration to mark Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who flagged off the events from near IG Park and, along with ministers and MLAs, paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, called upon the people to uphold Gandhi’s ideologies and principles of non-violence, truth, brotherhood and peace.
“Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is also a realization of his dreams and visions for a clean and hygienic India,” the DCM said.
Lauding the ISCDCL and the ICR administration for organizing the events, the DCM advocated living a healthy life and called for guiding the younger generation on the right path.
Urban Development Special Secretary Sachin Rana and ISCDCL CEO Dahey Sangno also spoke.
Among others, Legislative Assembly Speaker PD Sona, RWD Minister Honchun Ngandam, PHE&WS Minister Wangki Lowang, MLAs Ninong Ering and Techi Kaso, advisor to chief minister Tangor Tapak, ICR DC Talo Potom, councillors and government officers were present on the occasion.
At the Raj Bhavan here, eminent writer and Padma Shree awardee YD Thongchi garlanded the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the Gandhi Hall.
Addressing the congregation through virtual media from Aizawl, Mizoram, Governor BD Mishra urged the people to promote and abide by the Gandhian values. He called for strengthening the spirit of non-violence as endorsed and propagated by Mahatma Gandhi.
Thongchi also spoke.
Commissioner to Governor HGS Dhaliwal, along with officers and staff of the Raj Bhavan participated in the function.
The state unit of the BJP, led by its president Biyuram Wahge, MP Tapir Gao and MLA Chau Zingnu Namchoom, organized a cleanliness drive at the Itanagar Buddhist gonpa and paid floral tributes to the Father of the Nation.
Later, Wahge unveiled the ‘Wall of kindness’ at the party’s head office in Vivek Vihar. He appealed to the people to contribute unused household commodities, clothes, utensils, etc, at the ‘Wall of kindness’ on Sundays for distribution among the poor and the needy.
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) celebrated the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan here.
MLA Ninong Ering, APCC working president Bosiram Siram and other members of the party paid rich tributes to Gandhi and Shastri.
The Itanagar PHE&WS subdivision organized a special gram sabha at Chimpu village to mark the day.
JJM Mission Director Tomo Basar urged the villagers to “know the significance of safe drinking water and ensure functional tap connection in every household.” He also advised them to approach the state laboratory in Mowb-II for testing water samples.
SE Tayum Tok and PHE&WS Subdivision EE Tadar Mangku also spoke.
The Naharlagun PHE&WS subdivision, in collaboration with panchayat members and villagers, organized a cleanliness drive in Model Village. The department engaged an excavator and a truck to clear the huge heap of garbage dumped in front of the government higher secondary school in Kankar Nallah.
The Oju Welfare Association (OWA) and the Arunachal Women Helpline-181, led by OWA chairperson Ratan Anya, conducted a cleanliness drive at the Naharlagun police station to mark the day.
In Jollang, Don Bosco College and its alumni, in collaboration with the Jollang panchayat, organized a cleanliness drive from the central jail to the village square trijunction to mark the day. More than 200 kgs of garbage were collected and disposed of properly.
In Ngopok in East Siang district, teachers and students of the government upper primary school there celebrated Gandhi Jayanti by participating in a cleanliness drive.
Also in East Siang, the College of Horticulture & Forestry in Pasighat organized a cleanliness drive under the Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat Abhiyan in the college campus. NSS volunteers, teachers, technical staffers and others participated in it. The day was also celebrated in all the administrative subdivisions and outposts of the district.
In West Siang, the Donyi-Polo Government College in Kamki celebrated the day with a cleanliness drive in the college campus. In headquarters Aalo also, cleanliness drives were organized at Medical Complex, the market areas, and various sectors to mark Gandhi Jayanti. Industries Minister Tumke Bagra, along with teachers, students and others paid floral tributes to the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Aalo West unit of the BJP, led by mandal president Tumge Ete renovated the potholes near Nehru Chowk, while the SFS College carried out cleanliness drives at the general hospital, sectors, government offices and marketplaces.
Gandhi Jayanti was also celebrated with various programmes in Kurung Kumey, West Kameng, Lower Dibang Valley, Changlang, Lohit, Longding, Tirap, Kra Daadi (where Chambang East, Chambang West, Kamcho Koyer, Tassar and Serek villages were declared open defecation-free), Anjaw and other districts. (DCM’s PR Cell, Raj Bhavan, DIPROs & others)
