Two hyenas rescued from well. In Mathura’s Chambal forest, two hyenas have shown that fighting does not pay. The animals are believed to have fallen into the well during a vicious battle. What shocked observers was that, even after falling into the well, the animals did not stop fighting. The forest department launched a rescue operation to pull the hyenas out of the well. Striped hyenas are an endangered species that live mostly in the arid ecosystems of India including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Read more (Hindi)
Waste water pumping station on Parikrama Marg
Baby-step progress with Yamuna cleaning. Municipal officials have been asked to submit a report and photographic evidence of the progress that they claim is being made with Yamuna cleaning. The report is due to be presented in the Allahabad High Court on November 6th. Yesterday, the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, Manoj Kumar Singh, visited Mathura and Vrindavan to inspect the sewage and drainage systems. The Chief Secretary visited several of the 8 sewerage plants in Mathura-Vrindavan. He arrived at Atala Chungi, hoping to meet with officials in relation to the sewage pipe network in Vrindavan, however the municipal officials did not arrive at the site.
There is a 112 km sewage pipe in Vrindavan, however, previous inspections have found sewage treatment plants to be dysfunctional. Reports have also come to the surface about drainage from illegal colonies emptying into Yamuna. At a hearing of the Allahabad High Court yesterday, officials claimed to have blocked off drains which were pouring sewage directly into Yamuna. The prominent activist, Madhumangal Shukla, is mounting the case in the high court to ensure that the municipality will rectify the laxity in sewage and grey water treatment that has gone on for so many years. Read more (Hindi)
P.C. Jagran
Rally cry: Come make Vrindavan polythene free! Wednesday, Vrindavan: During a rally at Hanuman Prasad Dhanuka girls school, MP Hema Malini and the Vice President of Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad, Shailjakant Mishra, were among the dignitaries adding their voice to the call for a polythene free Vrindavan. The school’s principal, Dr. Anju Sood said that cloth bags should be used instead of plastic bags. Mishra talked about the negative effects of polythene and Malini gave a motivational speech, saying that Vrindavan needs to become completely polythene free.
P.C. Tunzaecogeneration
With the recent recognition of Vrindavan as an official pilgrimage site, increased efforts are being made to make the city clean and beautiful. Mishra, has been spearheading the anti-polythene campaign since 2001. Mishra’s campaign against polythene is fueled by his love of animals, especially cows, and he has twice been a member of the Animal Welfare Board. At a meeting of foreign devotee leaders last month, Mishra mentioned that he had previously arranged an exhibition showing photos of cows’ stomachs full of polythene. Mishra said that the exhibition was effective in helping people think about the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, many people throw vegetable scraps onto the street in plastic bags or do not separate garbage, causing cows forage for food scraps in amongst plastic garbage.
These days, more and more public figures are adding their voice to the cleanliness campaign. At a recent Bhagavat Katha program, Sadhvi Ritambara Didima said that PM Modi cannot do all the work alone, but, if people clean their hearts and stop being lazy, India will become clean.
Mathura Parikrama: 5 day program. For those who cannot spare the 40 days or so it takes to do Braj Mandal 84 kos parikrama, followers of late Guru Gopal Peeth Bitthalesh Ji Maharaj are organizing a 5 day program which includes the Mathura 5 kos Parikrama. Between the 13-18th November, devotees will perform kirtan and parikrama of Mathura, with the bravest devotees doing dandavat parikrama. Dandavat parikrama involves completing the parikrama by lying down (like a stick) as many times as it takes to complete the length of the parikrama. It is more common for devotees to complete dandavat parikrama of Vrindavan. The first group dandavat parikrama of Mathura was conducted in 2014 on the anniversary of Bitthalesh ji Maharaj’s disappearance. Read more (Hindi)
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