11 women, 1 mission: Clean Amritsar
Eleven women, one mission — to mobilise citizens against the overwhelming exploitation and destruction of natural resources and rally support for a greener, cleaner Punjab. Chalo Amritsar is more than a campaign; it’s a war cry against rampant plastic pollution, deforestation, and waste mismanagement that have turned into serious health hazards for the city of Amritsar.
Led by 11 women, all associated with or founding members of various environmental and sustainability non-profit organisations, the Chalo Amritsar campaign has been launched to mark the 450th foundation year of Amritsar.
The holy city of Punjab, Amritsar, has long suffered from air, water, and land pollution, with the concerned authorities failing over the years to adequately address and resolve these issues. Taking the lead, these women have drafted a resolution that serves both as a call to action and a blueprint to counter the city’s growing environmental deterioration.
Recently, Indu Aurora and Shweta Mehra of the Chalo Amritsar team met with Sakshi Sawhney, the Deputy Commissioner, to submit their demands as part of the commemorative efforts marking Amritsar’s 450th foundation anniversary. Their demands include the implementation of a single-use plastic (SUP) ban and declaring Amritsar a plastic-free city; the decommissioning of the Bhagtanwala landfill; and the planting of 450 bagichas (orchards), each comprising 450 trees, across the district.
“Chalo Amritsar is a people’s movement, a way to show our love and reverence for our holy city. A city that receives 30 million pilgrims each year, with weekend footfalls touching 2 lakh, is quite literally crumbling, with waste dumps and litter everywhere. It is truly a sorry state of affairs when one sees garbage piling up and the basic civic health of the city in ruins. We seek several measures, including a ban on single-use plastic, which, despite being announced in 2022, has yet to be implemented,” said Indu Aurora, founder president of Voice of Amritsar.
Aligning their campaign with Guru Ram Dass’ vision of a clean, green Amritsar, the team is taking a collaborative and health-focused approach, aiming to work hand in hand with the administration.
According to members of the Chalo Amritsar movement, plastic waste generation in Punjab has more than doubled in just five years – from 54,000 tonnes in 2017 to nearly 1,29,000 tonnes by 2022. “The plastic ban remains one of our most significant demands, as its elimination would drastically reduce landfill waste and water contamination. We are urging the authorities to eliminate all forms of single-use plastic from the city. These items should be replaced with sustainable alternatives such as cloth bags, leaf-based tableware, and refillable containers,” said Indu.
The team also plans to send representations to MP Gurjeet Aujla and the Municipal Corporation Commissioner.
Samita Kaur (Vatrukh Foundation), Navneet Bhullar (MD Co-founder, AGAPP, Jalandhar), Indu Aurora (Voice of Amritsar), Shweta Mehra (Earthy Instincts), Ritu Malhan (Green Thumb), Ripanjot Kaur Soni Bagga (Punjabi Writer), Aman Kaur (Water Warriors, Punjab), Swaranjit Kaur (Environmentalist), Pallavi Luthra Kapoor, Manpreet Khaira (Environmentalist), Dr Simarpreet Sandhu (OTT Transformation Trust) and Mona Singh (FICCI FLO Amritsar) are part of the Chalo Amritsar team.
Amritsar