EcoSikh Celebrates 440th Birthday Of Amritsar Sahib

AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—Hundreds of people from all faiths marched at dawn on Tuesday, along with their faith leaders and representatives, in the ‘Walk for Amritsar’, organized by Eco-Amritsar under the tutelage of Washington based EcoSikh, marking the 440th anniversary of the city.

Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jains and Sikhs walked together to mark this auspicious occasion. The entire gathering raised positive slogans and carried placards for the ecological upliftment of the holy city in consonance to the vision of Guru Ramdas ji.

The two-hour procession had participation from schools, colleges, NCC, Bhagat Puran Singh Pingalwara etc. An action packed gatka display by Chief Khalsa Diwan Orphanage, and a brilliant street play (Nukkad Natak) on irresponsible littering & defacement by the IVE school for the underprivileged, were performed at the commencement of the citizens gathering at Ram Bagh gardens.

Amritsar Sahib in 20 most polluted cities of the world

Sri Guru Ram Dass established the city as Chak Ramdasspur in 1577. It was envisioned to be a hamlet, created around the Golden Temple, in harmony with nature. The city was flush with gardens, commercial establishments and residential dwellings interwoven and in sustainable coexistence. However, that hamlet has now expanded to a bustling city of over 1.3 million citizens, with more than 40 million visitors each year.

A lack of reliable waste management and the unchecked growth of three wheelers spewing out dangerous and poisonous gases has made Amritsar one of the 20 most polluted cities globally. Amritsar is facing severe environmental challenges.  There is only 1% of forest area left in the city and the city is loosing 3 feet of underground water every year. Eco Amritsar team has initiated projects to involve schools, colleges, businesses and Gurdwaras to take green steps like plantation drive, awareness campaigns and also promoting organic food.

The 5th annual ‘Walk For Amritsar’ was a celebration of the city’s existence as well as an introspection of the 5 year Eco Amritsar program (2013-2017). The program for clean & green environs, for a plastic free, water saving, sensible & responsible Amritsar was adopted by scores of NGO’s & supported by the district administration, SGPC, educational institutions and social welfare organisations.

In a message from Washington DC, Dr. Rajwant Singh, President, EcoSikh, said, “Guru Ram Dass Nagri is revered and loved globally by one and all. Also the entire Sikh population worldwide looks with concern the rapid fall in environmental indices of Amritsar. While Harmandir sahib, the Golden Temple, is pristine in its grandeur, it is the Holy City which has degraded immensely, and its green cover depleted. We need a concerted effort to renew its sustainability for our future generations.”

Head of the civil authority in Amritsar, Deputy Commissioner Kamaljit Singh Sangha,  in his address was deeply appreciative of the this philanthropic and proactive initiative. He stressed upon the need to recognise the contribution of the ragpickers and the sanitary workers who work ceaselessly for maintaining a semblance of cleanliness. He extolled the need for citizens to take responsibility and assist the civic administration to make the essential change in the city. The deputy Commissioner further pledged his complete support to the cause.

Gunbir Singh, Chairman, EcoAmritsar, said, “In all humility our initiatives for a better city have shown encouraging results. The organic food movement including organic langar at the Harimandar, Plantations in the city, Green Nagar kirtan, Plastic free Christmas, Zero disposal parks & Garbage free households are some of the positives that give us satisfaction. The enthused NGO participation, advocacy with local & state administration as well as our tree plantation projects are ongoing initiatives today. Most gratifying is the interfaith support that we generate on occasions such as AFD2017, which encourage us to work towards an Amritsar as envisioned by the Gurus.”