10,000 join hands to clean Kalka-shimla rail track
SHIMLA :Over 10,000 people came together on Saturday to remove trash from the 90-km heritage Kalka–shimla rail track, which connects the capital town.
Governor Acharya Devvrat, who launched the drive here, was accompanied by HP high court’s acting chief justice Sanjay Karol and other judges.
During the drive, Devvrat walked till Shimla railway station from the rail museum at the bus stand and appealed to passengers and locals to keep the heritage track clean.
The drive is being organised under the Himachal Pradesh Legal Services Authority (HPLSA) at the Baba Bhalku Museum, Shimla.
HPLSA member secretary Prem Pal Ranta, who was also a part of the drive, said that the objective of the drive was to keep the heritage track clean.
Historian and writer Raja Bhasin said, “It’s the biggest cleanliness drive launched 10 years after Kalka–shimla rail line made it to the Unesco’s world heritage line list in 2008. He added that the drive was significant for north India.
“We all should contribute towards the Swachh Bharat campaign,” said Kanika Sharma, a school student, who was also a part of the drive.
HOW THE 90-KM TRACK WAS CLEANED UP
The 90-km rail track was divided into 43 sectors of which 22 sectors were in Solan and 21 in Shimla districts. Each team comprised minimum 200 members. About 5,000 volunteers comprised participants from 35 different government departments and the local social bodies active in Shimla and Solan.
The legal service authority also roped in 5,000 students from different schools. Students of three private universities also volunteered in the drive. Territorial army jawans and paramilitary personnel also participated in the drive.
The Kalka-shimla railway track was opened on November 9, 1903. It links Delhi-ambalakalka branch of the East Indian Railways. In 2008, the Kalkashimla railway track was recognised as a world heritage by the Unesco.