Shimla: BJP leader of Opposition and former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Friday called for making cleanliness a sustained public movement, urging people to take responsibility for keeping their homes, neighbourhoods, towns and the state clean.
Thakur was speaking after participating in a cleanliness drive organised by the BJP Shimla Mandal at the Purna Bus Stand in Shimla. The programme was chaired by BJP Shimla Mandal president Rajiv Pandit, with party workers cleaning the surrounding area and spreading awareness about cleanliness.
Referring to the Swachh Bharat Mission, Thakur said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for cleanliness had transformed the campaign into a nationwide movement driven by public participation. He noted that the mission was launched on October 2, 2014, and had generated widespread awareness about sanitation over the past 12 years.
“Cleanliness is not merely the responsibility of the government or any one department. It is a collective responsibility of every citizen,” Thakur said, calling upon people to make cleanliness a permanent part of their daily lives and social values.
Citing Central government data up to September 2026, he said more than 12.22 crore individual household toilets had been constructed in rural India, while over 5.69 lakh villages had achieved ODF Plus status. He said solid waste management facilities had been recorded in more than 5.38 lakh villages and liquid waste management arrangements in over 5.65 lakh villages.
He also highlighted progress in urban sanitation, saying that by January 2026, more than 63.83 lakh individual household toilets and around 6.36 lakh community and public toilet seats had been constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.
Thakur seeks payment of pending employee arrears
Thakur also urged the Himachal Pradesh government to clear the pending financial dues of employees and pensioners, saying prolonged delays were causing difficulties for them and their families.
He referred to claims made by the Himachal Pradesh Joint Employees Federation in August that around ₹5,000 crore in dearness allowance arrears and nearly ₹7,000 crore in pay and pension revision arrears were pending, taking the claimed total to around ₹12,000 crore.
Thakur acknowledged that the state government had announced partial payment of pension arrears in September. Under the announcement, pensioners from Class III categories who retired between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 would receive 30 per cent of their pending arrears in October, while Class I and II pensioners would receive 15 per cent.
He said the government should go beyond partial payments and provide a clear timeline for clearing the remaining legitimate dues of employees and pensioners.
‘Sanitation workers’ payments should not be overlooked’
Thakur also raised the issue of pending payments of sanitation workers in Shimla, describing them as the backbone of the city’s sanitation system.
“Those who keep Shimla clean every day, often under difficult conditions, deserve timely payment of all their legitimate dues,” he said, urging the government and concerned civic authorities to address their issues.
He said efforts to make cleanliness a people’s movement must also be accompanied by measures to resolve the problems of the workers who keep the sanitation system functioning on the ground.
Tea and bread pakoras bring back Shimla memories
After the cleanliness drive, Thakur visited a local shop at the bus stand, where he had tea and bread pakoras with party workers. He also recalled his old memories of Shimla and interacted with local residents and party workers.
BJP leaders and workers present at the programme included Sanjay Sood, Karn Nanda, Punita Sharma, Gaurav Sharma, Jagjit Bagga, Shyam Sharma, Roop Sharda, Tarun Rana, Piyush Negi, Pankaj Niltu and Jyoti, besides a large number of party workers and local residents.
