Litterbugs make Kashi’s international lane look dirty
VARANASI: Plastic bottles and waste lie scattered at the entrance to and on some stretches of the Bengali Tola lane, which locals also refer to as called as international lane or videshiyon wali gali.
The filth in this lane situated near Dashashwamedh Ghat, a top tourist and pilgrim draw, upset tourists like German national Klaus Kesselring who is on his second visit to the holy city.
It is one of the 742 lanes in the old city area of Varanasi. Despite efforts, many locals keep throwing garbage in open in other lanes too.
Passing through the international lane, Kesselring says, “I accept Varanasi as it is. I like it. But as far as cleanliness in the lanes is concerned, more serious efforts are needed. The lanes are not as clean as they should be. Waste, including plastic bottles, are scattered at many stretches in this lane.”
Kesselring, however, sees a bit of an improvement in the condition of the lanes as compared to what he experienced during his previous visit a few years ago. As he walked off, a youth dumped plastic in the lane.
Garbage near many shops on either side of the lane gives the place a filthy look even as hundreds of tourists pass through the lane.
Oleg Zadorozhny, a Russian tourist, finds the ghats clean but the lanes dirty. He wants locals to cooperate with government authorities in the cleaning efforts to achieve the goals.
A Japanese tourist, who doesn’t wish to disclose her name, says, “I am surprised why people dump waste in the lanes. They should use bins to keep this beautiful ancient city clean. A little effort can bring a visible, positive change on the ground.”
At some places, walls are painted red with paan stains.
Bablu, a lassi stall owner, says, “A number of foreigners visit the lane daily. Therefore, we call it foreigners’ lane. They taste delicious dishes, drink lassi and buy Banarasi brocades and other garments here.”
Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Varanasi Municipal Corporation introduced a door-to-door garbage collection campaign and distributed over 4,000 bins with the support of non government organizations. The civic body carried out dozens of awareness drives, appealing to locals to use the bins and not dump garbage in the open.
The Clean India mission has yet to give the desired results in Varanasi. But change has begun.
Dr AK Dubey, chief health officer at VMC, says: “We have taken a number of initiatives to ensure complete cleanliness across the city. Door-todoor collection has already been introduced in all 90 wards. Bins have been installed at different locations, including the lanes. Sanitation workers collect garbage and sweep the lanes daily.”
He says though the desired results are awaited, efforts made under the Swachh Bharat Mission are showing their impact.
Still, the charm of Varanasi remains intact for tourists like Israel’s Adi Glebotzki who says Varanasi is a unique city. “It is cleaner than many parts of New Delhi. Varanasi needs to remain Varanasi. Its basic nature should remain intact. Cleanliness is a good thing, it may be done.”