Kashmir's New Cleanliness Push Takes Aim At Everyday Waste

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) By Syed Sammar Mehdi

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Srinagar- Students at schools in Khonmoh took the stage this week to act out a problem that usually unfolds beyond the classroom: waste discarded without thought, public spaces left untidy and plastic accumulating in the environment.

Their skits formed the centrepiece of the Jammu and Kashmir launch of Swachhata Hi Seva 2026, held Thursday in Block Khonmoh, Srinagar. The performances turned a government cleanliness campaign into a lesson aimed at reaching homes, neighbourhoods and communities.

Anoo Malhotra, the director general of Rural Sanitation, J&K, opened the Union Territory-wide campaign with a simple proposition.

Cleanliness, she said, needs to become part of daily behaviour rather than remain tied to a campaign with a fixed start and finish.

She urged schools and students to promote four-stream waste segregation at the source, so waste can begin its journey through separate streams before it reaches public spaces or disposal sites. Schools, she said, could organise more awareness and creative programmes and share their initiatives to encourage wider participation.

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The message gained a practical dimension through the students themselves.

Sheikh Ali Mission School in Khonmoh staged a skit on the Swachhata Hi Seva theme. Higher Secondary School, Khonmoh, presented another performance focused on cleanliness. Samaa Public School in Balhama and Radiant Model School in Khonmoh used skits to address cleanliness and environmental responsibility. Northland Public School focused on waste segregation and the need to maintain clean surroundings.

Shabir Ahmad Hakak, deputy director of Rural Sanitation, Kashmir, described the campaign as a collective movement for cleanliness and responsible citizenship. He pointed to the place of cleanliness in different faiths and traditions and said the campaign needed to become a permanent habit.

The programme has three broad pillars: identifying and cleaning Cleanliness Target Units, keeping public places clean and increasing youth and student participation. Hakak urged students to become active participants and ambassadors for the campaign.

Mantasha Binti Rashid, joint director of the Rural Development Department, shifted the focus further into the household. She encouraged students to compost vegetable and kitchen waste at home, turning biodegradable material into manure while reducing the volume of waste entering the environment.

She connected that practice to a larger ecological principle. Nature works through circular systems, she said, while extensive plastic use has disrupted that balance. Families can respond through composting and other sustainable practices, allowing everyday household choices to become part of environmental responsibility.

Bashir Ahmad Padder, assistant commissioner of police in Srinagar, said meaningful participation by individuals and communities could turn cleanliness campaigns into a lifestyle. Tabasum Qadir, secretary of the District Legal Services Authority in Srinagar, also stressed awareness and collective responsibility.

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Mohammad Muqsit Wani, the block development officer of Khonmoh, moderated the programme. Shajat Farooq, field officer with the Deputy Directorate of Rural Sanitation, Kashmir, delivered the vote of thanks. Participating schools received recognition for their performances and their role in spreading the campaign's message.

The launch ended with a proposition that extends well beyond the stage in Khonmoh: a cleanliness campaign succeeds through what people do after the banners, performances and official programmes disappear.

The lasting test will come at homes, schools and public places, where waste gets sorted, compost gets made and clean surroundings become an ordinary part of daily life.

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