Continuous Cleanliness Drive for Healthy Mumbaikars – Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

Voluntary Shramdaan in BMC ‘A’ Ward under Swachhata Hi Seva 2025 Campaign

Mumbai, Sept 2025 : Mumbai remains clean, beautiful, and green because of the dedication of the city’s sanitation workers and municipal staff. The health of Mumbaikars is strong due to their efforts. Sanitation workers are the true ambassadors of cleanliness—the real ‘heroes.’ To ensure better public health and a clean, beautiful city, a deep-cleaning campaign will continue regularly, assured Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He added that alongside cleanliness, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is implementing several measures for environmental conservation, which should be emulated by other municipal corporations across the state.

As part of Swachhata Hi Seva 2025, various Swachhotsav initiatives are being carried out. One such initiative was a collective Shramdaan (voluntary labour) drive, led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and in the presence of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Minister and Guardian Minister of Mumbai Suburban District, Mangal Prabhat Lodha.

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department K.H. Govind Raj, Principal Secretary to the Deputy CM Naveen Sona, along with deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, officials, employees, workers, students from schools and colleges, NGO representatives, and local citizens participated in the campaign.

The collective cleanliness drive was conducted in BMC’s ‘A’ Ward along Mahatma Gandhi Road (from Metro Cinema to Fashion Street), with active public participation. Roads and footpaths were cleaned and washed, and a collective pledge for cleanliness was also taken.

Deputy CM Shinde said, “Today, across the country and the state, the ‘One Hour for Cleanliness’ campaign has been launched. This effort must continue year-round. If every citizen takes initiative, it will spark a revolution in the country.” He recalled that the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan led to the construction of millions of toilets nationwide and provided clean drinking water to countless households. Maharashtra was the first state to recognize and promote the importance of cleanliness.

The Urban Development Department has identified around 19,940 sites where solid waste is dumped, and targets have been set for cleaning them. Across the state, 6,317 cleanliness programs with public participation will be held. Health camps for sanitation workers, Swachh Harit Mahotsav (Clean & Green Festival), morning rallies, sanitation worker felicitation events, inauguration of civic infrastructure, awards for best-performing local bodies, and recognition for outstanding citizen volunteers will also be organized under the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign.

Acknowledging the contributions of sanitation workers, Shinde said that BMC is working to improve facilities in their housing colonies, implementing schemes to ensure quality education for their children, and conducting health camps for workers and their families. He praised BMC’s earlier Deep Clean Drive, which had a major impact, and stressed the need to replicate such initiatives again.

Shinde also noted that, along with cleanliness, BMC has undertaken significant environmental efforts—planting over one lakh trees, maintaining urban forests and parks, and expanding green spaces. The Mahalakshmi Racecourse land has been earmarked for public gardens, and with the Mumbai Coastal Road project, nearly 300 acres will soon be developed as Mumbai Central Park. A detailed project report (DPR) for this world-class Central Park is ready. He further added that BMC is concretizing city roads to make them pothole-free, with a goal to complete the full concretization of Mumbai’s roads within the next 1.5 to 2 years.

On this occasion, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani also shared his remarks.