High‑profile visitor at Dashashwamedh as cleanup accelerates
Benares (Varanasi): Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar, son of former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Sunday attended the evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, where volunteers and civic teams have stepped up river‑bank cleaning operations after recent floods, according to local reports.
Officials affiliated with the Ganga Seva Nidhi received the minister and escorted him to the aarti site. Sushant Mishra, president of the Ganga Seva Nidhi, greeted the visitor with a shawl, offerings and a memento, the reports said. Following the ceremony, the minister wrote in the organisation's visitor book:
"It is my good fortune that I participated in the Ganga Aarti. May the blessings of Mother Ganga remain upon all of us Indians."
The minister remained at the aarti for approximately 30 minutes, the accounts added. Authorities moved the ritual to the Ganga Seva Nidhi office because of a rising water level in the river, the reports said.
Namami Gange and civic teams clear silt, puja materials after floods
The visit came against the backdrop of an intensified cleanup campaign along the Ganga led by the Namami Gange programme and the Varanasi Municipal Corporation. Teams have been removing silt, puja material and other flood‑related waste from ghats and from the river itself, according to the local reports.
Officials said coordination between Namami Gange's Kashi region office and the municipal corporation has focused on clearing key ghats used by pilgrims and tourists. On Thursday, those teams removed more than one tonne of garbage from the river at Dashashwamedh Ghat, the reports added. The drive was conducted under the coordination of Namami Gange Kashi region coordinator and municipal cleanliness brand ambassador Rajesh Shukla.
- Location: Dashashwamedh Ghat and other ghats along the Ganga in Varanasi
- Key actors: Namami Gange, Varanasi Municipal Corporation, Ganga Seva Nidhi, volunteers (Gangaputras)
- Recent action: removal of > 1 tonne of garbage; appeals for public cooperation during Pitru Paksha
Local appeals and cultural context
The cleanup drives are being publicised alongside appeals to pilgrims and tourists to avoid disposing of ritual items and other waste into the river. According to the reports, campaigners asked people to observe Pitru Paksha — a time for ancestral rites — by contributing to the cleanliness of the Ganga and its ghats rather than leaving offerings in the water.
Namami Gange coordinators and volunteers have been encouraging residents and visitors to act as responsible tourists, arguing that cleaner rivers support tourism, local livelihoods and environmental balance. The recent floods have left silt and floating debris at several ghats, prompting the intensified effort.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Visitor | Nishant Kumar, Bihar Health Minister |
| Host | Ganga Seva Nidhi (President: Sushant Mishra) |
| Cleanup leads | Namami Gange (Kashi region), Varanasi Municipal Corporation (Rajesh Shukla coordinating) |
| Reported haul | Over one tonne of garbage removed at Dashashwamedh Ghat |
City officials have not released a full quantified tally of waste cleared from all ghats since the floods; the reported figure relates to a single day and location. Continued monitoring and community participation will be critical, campaigners say, given the combination of seasonal pilgrimage activity and the likelihood of further river‑level fluctuations.
The visit of a high‑profile political figure to a major religious ceremony, coinciding with visible civic activity on the ghats, highlights the intertwining of cultural ritual, environmental management and public engagement in Varanasi — a city where the Ganga remains central to daily life and the local economy.
