KTR Swachh event turns into messy affair
The Baghlingampally area was left strewn with garbage after a Swachh Survekshan event, which was attended by K.T. Rama Rao, the minister for municipal administration and urban development.
Prior to the event, sanitation workers cleared the garbage and dusted the road near B.R. Ambedkar College. The event witnessed the participation of about 15,320 students from various educational institutions armed with broomsticks. However, after its conclusion, sanitation workers had to clean the area for the second time that day.
Residents from the area said that “Aswachh Survekshan” would have been a more appropriate name for the programme as it had left the neighbourhood dirtier than before.
B. Ramu, a local resident, said that the roads in and around B.R. Ambedkar College was filled with debris from about 15,000 broomsticks. He said that Swachh Hyderabad would remain a distant dream if the officials participating in such events were interested in posing for pictures.
B. Damodhar, another local resident, said that such events created more work for the sanitation staff. He said that the sanitation staff was made to work extra hours in preparation for the minister’s visit, to keep the premises as clean as possible. And after the event, there were new piles of garbage for them to clear.
However, according to the official press release, over 15,000 students and youngsters assembled at B.R. Ambedkar College in the Ramnagar division of the GHMC and swept the Baghlingampally main road to write a new high-range world record and create awareness about the need to keep the city clean. Until now, the record was held by residents of the Vadodara municipality, where over 5,000 people participated in a similar endeavour.
The 15,000 students swept the street for only three minutes, and the brooms were provided by the organisers. Traffic was diverted to avoid any inconvenience to the participants. The event was organised in anticipation of the Swachh Survekshan programme, which will be conducted in the city from February 15 to 22.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Rama Rao said that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had launched the Swachh Hyderabad initiative even before the Central government launched its Swachh Bharat campaign. He asked citizens to participate in the Swachh Survekshan programme in large numbers.