Khanna - The pond cleaning campaign initiated by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has started yielding results as the pond in Bhumaddi village in Khanna has been desilted and cleaned after nearly 50 years. Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, who is also the legislator of Khanna, visited the village to inspect the cleaning of the pond. During the visit, the village sarpanch, Harmandeep Singh, informed the minister that the pond had not been cleaned in the last five decades. Now, with the removal of silt, the pond is being given a fresh look.

The villagers expressed gratitude to the government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, for the drive. Sond said the cleaning of village ponds is being carried out on a massive scale in Punjab, adding that the previous governments had neglected the maintenance of village ponds, but this has been made possible by the government. He said it has set a target to clean all village ponds by draining their water before the monsoon season, with desilting and dewatering wherever necessary. He added that after cleaning, a solar motor will be installed in the pond to supply treated water to agricultural fields.

The minister said the government is cleaning around 15,000 ponds in the state, with the work already underway in most of the villages. He also emphasised government’s priority is to improve basic infrastructure in villages, with a special focus on the repair, maintenance, and upkeep of ponds and the development of sports grounds. He said under the leadership of Chief Minister Mann and under the guidance of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the mission to transform Punjab into a vibrant “Rangla Punjab” is progressing rapidly. Sond also added that before the monsoon season, the government will desilt ponds wherever needed and drain contaminated water. This will help improve groundwater levels and address the issue of the depleting water table.