Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban

Khelo India Winter Games, the national level multidisciplinary grassroot winter games of India sees massive participation and lays emphasis on including traditional Indian games in Khelo India events in order to revive their popularity. Gulmarg, a renowned skiing destination in Jammu & Kashmir, hosted the 4th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, from 21st to 25th February 2024. The initiative was spearheaded by Municipal Corporation of Tangmarg/Gulmarg.
Boasting of swachh games, the 4-day national event was attended by nearly 800 delegates & participants. As part of the event, instructions were given to the Municipal Committees of Magam, Kunzer, and Tangmarg to conduct sanitation campaigns from Narbal to Gulmarg and to maintain cleanliness on Narbal-Gulmarg Road during the event too.

In addition to regular sanitation initiatives, the Municipal Committees of Tangmarg, Kunzer and Magam conducted special pre-event sanitation campaigns along the Srinagar-Gulmarg Road from Narbal to Gulmarg. The ULBs of Budgam, Beerwah, and Pattan provided ample support to ensure the success of these special sanitation initiatives. Before the start of the 4th Edition of Khelo India Winter Games, specific sanitation drives were conducted between 13th to 19th February and over 6 tons of waste was collected as a result of these initiatives, out of which over 4 tons of dry waste and nearly 2 tons of wet waste was gathered. The waste was later taken to the Solid Waste Management facility located in Kunzer, where it was sorted before being processed.

Extensive awareness through installation of welcome banners, boards with messages on swachhata, selfie points etc. were ensured during the preparations. Additionally, canopies were set up at the Khelo

India activity spots where people were encouraged to surrender their polythene bags and were given reusable bags in return. Permanent kiosks were installed near the entry gate of Tangmarg for offering tourists reusable bags in exchange of poly bags. Selfie points were strategically placed at different event locations to actively engage tourists and Khelo India participants in promoting sanitation. Additionally, stickers with swachhata messages were placed on vehicles entering Gulmarg to raise awareness. Pamphlets were distributed to tourists and participants, outlining guidelines for their stay in Gulmarg. Portable toilets, along with a suction machine, were set up in the main activity area at Gulmarg Club.

By organizing swachh Khelo India Games, Jammu & Kashmir demonstrated its dedication towards swachhata and highlighted its focus on promoting tourism through cleanliness initiatives.