Work with administration for clean Old Delhi: Harsh Vardhan tells traders

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Saturday urged the traders of old Delhi to work together with the administration and civil society to give the area a clean look.

"The community of traders, wholesalers and shopkeepers who dominate the economy of Old Delhi need to adopt self-regulatory practices to achieve the national goal of cleanliness and public hygiene," Harsh Vardhan said at the launch of a public-private drive aimed at giving a clean look to Old Delhi which is also known as Walled city.

Under the drive, the schools in the area will be given support to build new toilets or modernise existing ones. The shop owners will be given baskets or rubbish bins to throw their refuse.

Vardhan emphasised on cleanliness in every corner of the area and said that a new plan aligned to the Prime Minister's vision of 'Swachh Bharat' is the need of the hour.

"This place resonates with history and the culture of India. Foreign tourists come here in droves. But they return with memories of filthy streets and bad smells. This must change," said Vardhan, who represents Chandni Chowk constituency in the parliament.

"I am proud to represent people who responded within two days of the Prime Minister's historic appeal. There can be no substitute for self-regulation as it is often not possible for the government and municipal authorities to service such a huge population by themselves," Vardhan said.

The minister also symbolically cleaned a stretch of Vivekananda Marg and requested the people to set their targets of giving the area a clean look by Diwali (OCT 23).