Photo: Prakhar Pandey
There are no two opinions about the good old saying, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’. In tune with this adage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi heralded the need for civic cleanliness across the country during his Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort; and thereafter activated Bharat Swachh Abhiyan on Gandhi Jayanti. The Modi dictum spread to the entire ‘babudom’ running the North and South Blocks as well as the numerous Bhavans housing the various ministries and departments in the national capital. Ministers, leaders and bureaucrats were seen wielding the broom to sweep their (now not so) hallowed premises. Of course there were reports of garbage-managed photo-op shows also. The rest of the country followed suit. As part of this campaign, people were advised, and even warned, against littering in public places – reminding them that this also pertained to spitting and urinating in the open. The Haryana Government too took up this cause of ‘swachhta’. In the Millennium City one could witness the sanitation staff, better known as Safai Karmcharis, of the civic agency, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), briskly undertaking their routine job. They were probably surprised at this ‘rising from deep slumber’ of the Administration. Multiple Swachh Abhiyans have followed – undertaken by educational institutions, RWAs, corporates and even the Police - resulting in cleaner pavements and roads. However, this ‘Cleanliness Campaign’ seems to have lived by the day – it’s been more a daily drive.
In a random survey, FG has observed that while a good number of Safai Karmcharis have endeavoured to maintain the cleanliness drive, the general public believes that it has done its good deed for the year. Spitting and urinating are back in public. Commenting on this, A V Sreenivasan, a printer from New Delhi who visits Gurgaon almost twice a week to meet his clients here, says, “It is not a matter of civic sense but utter non sense on the part of the people. Of course, to a certain extent, the pollution and tropical climate could be the reason for respiratory ailments that prompt one to cough and spit out phlegm, but this should not be at the cost of cleanliness in public places.” Cultivating a basic civic sense in every Indian is a tough order and will take quite some time. As compared to the various ‘developed’ sectors of the City, the survey reveals a pathetic scenario in ‘old’ Gurgaon. A resident, Zile Singh, comments, “The Safai Karmcharis here need to pull up their socks.” The earlier ‘thekedari pratha’ (contractor system) of hiring temporary hands for sanitation tasks has been abolished by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), and now there are supervisors for every zone who are directly getting salary from MCG. There are four zones, each under a Joint Commissioner, to look after the sanitation work in the different sectors. Trilok, Assistant Sanitary Inspector in ‘old’ Gurgaon, refrains from commenting on what his other colleagues have done in their respective wards. “The wards have been divided, and indeed our people do work. At the same time it is also the obligatory duty of every citizen to maintain general cleanliness,” he opines. Vimla Pathak, a vendor of fruits in Basai, says, “Nobody comes from the Nagar Nigam (MCG) to clean this place. Yes, during Swachh Abhiyan, which lasted just a few days, they were regular, but now they (again) rarely make their presence felt.” Sharing similar views, a lady at a tea stall outside the Mini Secretariat, who has been running this business here for the past decade, says, “I won’t deny that specific improvements have taken place, but the fact is that the visits by the Safai Karmcharis are not regular.” The residents, by and large, admit that it is the duty of every citizen to help make the country free of garbage, dirt and filth. Amit, a supervisor in Islampur, says, “There are 25 Safai Karmcharis working under me in this zone. I properly look after every corner of the street. I also believe there was much more strictness during the Abhiyan, but we try to maintain the discipline.” Anil Nain, Sanitary Inspector of Zone 4, admits, “This government has really made people come out and do something to help clean their own country. Nowadays the Safai Karmcharis are much more sincere towards their work. One of the reasons is that there are now no middlemen, and I personally check whether the areas are clean or not. During the Swachh Abhiyan many social activists and other volunteers worked with us, and in future also they will add more people for cleanliness drives.” There are more than 2,000 Safai Karmcharis in Gurgaon, but most of them don't have any identification card. Rakesh, a sanitation worker at Sohna Road, laments, “Every day we clean the garbage and make sure that no complaints come from the residents. But at least give us some formal identity.” It is hoped that the concerned authorities would take serious note of this aspect, since the interests and motivation of Safai Karmcharis have direct relevance to, and impact on, sanitation in public places.
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