“Clean India” lifetime desire of every Indian

Last updated on September 30th, 2014 at 03:06 am

There is a news the other day which reads “Will Modi, Sonia sweep UP rly stations? The news further add

“Being MPs from various constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, they were all sent formal invitations on Saturday by Northern Railway and North Eastern Railway (NER) to be part of the launch of the ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission.

Politician, MPs and Minister were invited by Railways for the work of inauguration  and ribbon cutting  since ages. Now, it is  for the first time, the invitation has been sent for participating in the launch of ‘Swachh Bharat’ holding a broom and sweeping a corner of the platform ( along with implied media coverage). The name plate may look like this …

There is no doubt in the visionary mission of our Prime Minister, who has strong want to clean the air, water and earth of India. Everyone had wished for a clean ‘Bharat’ but for the first time PM has accepted the wishes of  the nation and not hesitated to tell the truth from the Pracheer of Red Fort.  He has also accepted that the cleanliness has to start from PMO. 

But has the challenge been accepted in its correct perspective and  is a right step  towards this great mission?

What a drama proposed to be undertaken all over India on 2^nd Oct., the birthday of Mahatama Gandhi, wherein the ‘who-is-who’ of the Government  will sweep the streets and making Mahatma frowning in his grave yard, certainly making him to think “will it make a difference in the life of all those who make living by cleaning and sweeping our streets.  What are they telling?”

It will be appropriate to make a beginning to deliberate thread bare the problem of cleanliness with solution found through lateral thinking, innovation of ideas and stop one-time concern for cleaning drive.

1. No one denies that staff engaged in cleaning job is looked upon with disrespect. He does not have a feeling of pride while sweeping, similar to the person who does a skilled job and praised for his work. Let us question and deliberate to find answers.
2. Making protection gear compulsory for cleaning staff is the first step. It has been very unfortunate that wearing protection gears during cleaning drive is almost missing. Even cleaning drive under media glare by politician is without wearing protection gear. What message is delivered? Our safai karamcharis are ready to take up any cleaning job for a price. 
3. Sweeping is the most incorrect way of cleaning where one adds about 20-30% of the dust in the environment. Media glare demonstration of sweeping is accepting sweeping as one of the approved ways of cleaning…
4. Planned introduction of cleaning machines and tools and training of cleaning staff with motivation to use it is the need of the day. It needs correction in the infrastructure design to let use of mechanised cleaning system.
5. There is unplanned digging going on all around and it is difficult to move a distance of 02-05 Km when one does not come across unprotected pothole, digging, broken pathways etc. Is it not part of the cleaning drive?
6. Construction activity by private and public works with left over of debris can be seen all around.
7. It is important to track how the garbage is disposed when only 10% is reprocessed. The balance 90% will only be moving around without finding ultimate disposal. One can find unemployed youth moving around this garbage, a distasteful site, and collecting useful item from it for reprocessing. This continues without finding a correct system in place.
8. Prevention of  defacing our building, signage, public places shall be brought under the purview cleanliness regulations with deterrent fine. 

“This way of handling garbage is similar to the way bureaucracy functions. 90% of the case file creates work for each other, moving around for years together and without finding disposal or graveyard. “

Instead of sweeping the street, the law makers shall  place the  regulations  about disposal, collection, fine for defacing etc. in place to cut the workload of the safai karamchari.