Does the observance of ‘Swachh Bharat’ Abhiyan by the Chandigarh Administration kicked start on Thursday again to keep the city neat and clean has any relevance when after this abhiyan a number of places across the city present a disgusted scene and defeats the basic objective of the Abhiyan. It has been year since the campaign was launched with much fanfare in Chandigarh. But still in several city’s areas residents do not find much difference in ‘swacch.’
People said that campaign lost its sheen with passes of time when it has become a ritual both for the officials and the residents. It was better if campaign was kicked off from those areas which needed it most, said T.L. Sharma of Sector 48. Another resident commented that dustbins placed at various places were overflowing whether in parks or in sectors but nobody cared.
The decision to start the campaign has been taken in a meeting. The Adviser to the Administrator, UT Vijay Kumar Dev kick started the Abhiyan from Sector 17 Plaza with much fanfare. The place has already been cleaned before the arrival of Mr Dev. But back lanes of showrooms tell another story. On the other, officials have claimed that the campaign has been started in all sectors but one may find that people armed with full-size brooms were ‘cleaning the clean.’ Even an official of the Administration commented that the sector has been cleaned yesterday.
‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ just for a day won’t do as debris data translates into formality of observance of such Abhiyan.