Kapurthala, July 17 -- Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday called upon citizens to take a collective pledge to conserve groundwater and combat environmental pollution. Addressing a gathering on the 25th anniversary of the cleaning of the sacred Kali Bein, Mann highlighted the urgent need to protect Punjab's depleting natural resources and turn environmental conservation into a mass movement.

The event, held on the banks of Kali Bein and organised by Rajya Sabha MP and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal, commemorated the start of the Kar Sewa (voluntary service) that began on July 16, 2000, at Gurdwara Ber Sahib.

The chief minister lauded Seechewal's monumental contribution in cleaning the 165-km-long Kali Bein, describ...