Nagpur: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) is a national campaign by the Government of India, covering 4,041 statutory cities and towns, to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country. The campaign was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself cleaned the road.
Immediately after the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Ministers, Leaders, MLAs, Senior Government officials, Heads of various departments and organizations all over India in every city and town saw this as a good photo-op and had made most of it too. They had posted their pictures on social media including whatsapp, facebook, instagram etc.
The movement caught the fancy of almost everybody in India, so much so that the sweepers and sanitary workers felt that they will soon become unemployed.
However, by mid-year of 2015, the entire enthusiasm and the “Abhiyan” died a slow death. We were all back to square one with dirty roads, streets, localities, areas etc.
One major reason for being denied “Smart City”
Nagpur was no different. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan lived an even smaller life in the city. With the ban on LBT, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation started blaming every failure on lack of finances for all poor performance of civic amenities and duties.
Leave alone the streets which are strewn with garbage and the personnel of Kanak Resources failing to lift garbage, even the government owned infrastructure is neglected and is strewn with garbage.
The Senior officials who had inspected the city to ascertain whether Nagpur city to fit to become a Smart City must have noticed the Fly-Over situated over Sitabuldi area where dumping of garbage could be observed. Heaps and heaps of garbage and filth surround the very boards appealing the citizens to maintain cleanliness and beauty of the city and tell the tale of sorry affairs. The heap of garbage poses a question mark on the much boasted ‘Smart City.’
