Patiala, April 19 -- The Punjab government on Friday launched an initiative to clean nearly 15,000 village ponds, a task long neglected for the past two to three decades. The campaign, aimed at transforming rural areas, was announced by Tarunpreet Singh Sond, minister for rural development and panchayats, during his visit to several villages in Fatehgarh Sahib district.

Sond highlighted the critical state of these ponds, which had suffered from years of neglect, leading to silt buildup, foul odors and mosquito breeding, creating both environmental and health hazards. "This initiative is not just about cleaning water bodies, it's about restoring rural ecosystems and improving public health," Sond said.

As part of the campaign, 1,062 pond...