Dr Ruchi Gupta
In the present times, we can easily find people demanding their rights as a citizen of this country, but seldom find people realizing their duties and responsibilities and discharging them sincerely. People are so eager to provide justifications for their wrong acts but very few own up the responsibility for such acts and be ready to rectify them. This is really very unfortunate. How can we dream of a Swachh Bharat when such mindset is predominant in our society.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pickup a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms (Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam).
Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Mumbai, Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. “Rich people’s dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,” he said. “And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?
People urinating in public places, spitting on the roads, littering anywhere they feel like is not an uncommon sight in our country. I once saw a poster showing a woman saying “I can’t eat unless my house is clean” and throwing away all her house dirt on the street. This in fact is a common scenario in most of our homes. Have we become so selfish? We are so much attached to our material possessions but what about our roads, our rivers, our national resources, our Country. Don’t they belong to us? Unless and until we develop sense of belongingness for all our resources and take responsibility for their maintenance, Swachh Bharat will remain a distant dream.
Practicing frugality in utilizing our resources has also become a thing of the past. The wasteful nature of our society has lead to an ever increasing size of the garbage heaps everywhere. The three principles of Waste Management-Reduce, Reuse and Recycle must be followed sincerely. The State Government’s recent decision regarding wastages during functions is a welcome step in this direction. But, its successful implementation lies in the hands of our citizens only. We must support this decision and refrain ourselves from organizing or becoming a part of such extravagant functions resulting into excessive wastage of resources.
Our small efforts can really make a big difference. Start with yourself. Be conscious of not littering and spitting anywhere. Say NO to poly bags; instead keep a carry bag when you go for buying vegetables or for shopping . Avoid ‘use and throw’ cutlery items which are non biodegradable. Instead we can use environment friendly products which are biodegradable like pattars( leaf plates), corn starch products etc. One can easily start segregating wet and dry waste in our homes. Prepare compost with your wet kitchen waste. Preparing compost is a very simple process which can be easily done at home. This compost can later be used for the kitchen garden or plants at home. We must consciously start following such simple practices in our daily routine and make them part of our habits. This will be our biggest contribution towards Swachh Bharat.
It is also observed that many of us look down upon the sanitation workers who are collecting and transferring our dirty refuse. Rather than being grateful to them we mistreat them. In fact we should cooperate with them and contribute by not littering everywhere. Also, we must keep in mind not to throw sharp objects, broken glass, soiled diapers or sanitary pads etc. in the bin without covering or wrapping them with paper or cloth. By following such small compassionate measures, we ensure that sanitation workers get a better working environment and so, we can expect a better response from them.
Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) also needs to put in place an effective ‘Waste Management System’. Segregation of waste is the first step for better management of waste in scientific and proper manner. JMC must give a serious thought on its implementation. Recently, Department of Rural Development initiated Solid and Liquid Resource Management (SLRM) project, which is a ‘Zero Waste’ model, at Chak Lala village of Bishnah Block. Here, waste is segregated at the household level. Then this segregated waste is collected from all the households of the village which is further segregated in the Resource Centre. The wet waste is being processed into compost whereas the dry waste (segregated into different categories) is being sold to recycling factories around Jammu. The Rural Development Department has employed a dozen local workers to collect the waste for secondary segregation.This kind of initiative needs to be encouraged and adopted in other parts of the State too.
Another way of giving push to the mission of Swachh Bharat is to put in place ‘Enforcement Rules’ by the government in order to restrict people from polluting the environment. In this regard, people’s support and contribution is equally important, if not more, in controlling indiscipline. A responsible citizen must raise his voice against any harm or injustice being done to the planet and its environment. Those who are desperate to see a Swachh Bharat, must accept responsibility. They can, in a very peaceful way, stop people from engaging in unhygienic and unhealthy activities and become a source of inspiration for others to follow.
Swachh Bharat is a splendid dream and we all must take responsibility to make this dream come true.
( The author is Assistant Professor IMPARD (Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development)
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