Overnight swishswash for a spic and span look
Interiors painted, stains washed away and green plants placed in cool corners of the collectorate to spruce it up for the CM’s review meeting on Saturday
LUCKNOW:: The office of the district magistrate here, the venue for the chief minister’s meeting to review the increasing crime graph in the state, wore an altogether different look on Saturday. Not only were the connecting roads cleaned and freed of encroachment for the ‘special’ day, the interiors too were spruced up. In fact, the wall paint was still wet and its smell permeated the atmosphere .
“People say ‘sarkari’ (government ) departments are lethargic and take quite long to respond. But see how fast they responded to the CM’s directives (possibly issued late on Friday) of a meet at the collectorate and ensured cleanliness over night,” said an administrative official, in a sarcastic tone.
He said after the CM’s directive about the meet, more than 200 labourers and painters were deployed round the clock to paint the premises. “More than 200 labourers were at work to clean the collectorate premises and to present a cleaner picture. The painters were at work to on the staircases, walls and all those points (especially the corners) that were famous for spit stains ,” another collectorate official said.
The labourers cleaned the floor and wiped off spit stains from the walls using thick hose pipes. Officials said to carry out the work eficiently, ADMs were made in charge of each storey to ensure cleanliness.
Plastic dustbins were seen on the entire premise. The maximum number of dustbins was placed on the first floor of the collectorate, where the chief minister’s meeting was scheduled.
It was also ensured that the interiors of the collectorate look greener than ever before. Overnight, more than 1,000 earthen pots bearing lush green plants were placed in every nook and corner of the premises, officials said.
A few officials were also deputed to scan the entire premises, including offices, to check that no walls had pan masala stains . Others were deputed to take care of the connecting roads leading to the collectorate. These roads that remain shabby throughout the year were sur- prisingly cleaned and made free of encroachment.
The ‘overnight changes’ came as a surprise to some officials who said that the chief minister should plan a visit to all ‘sarkari ‘offices. “It will automatically make the offices neat and clean and programmes like swaccha bharat abhiyaan will never be required,” another official said.
The changes also left the commuters surprised, who said they had never seen the road (connecting Qaiserbagh bus station to the collectorate) as wide as it was on Saturday.