SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN = CLEAN INDIA MOVEMENT

Our Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Bhai Modiji, gave a clarion call for a ‘clean India’, a year ago.....

At that time, I was under the impression that this will be a short-term movement, people will respond seriously and we will have clean and healthy surroundings very soon. Indeed, our surroundings were not only dirty and littered with garbage of all kinds all around, but also deeply permeated with deafening public apathy. With Prime Minister’s wake-up call, lots of concern and awareness have been created in general public in the last one year and a number of public and private establishments initiated concrete measures for clean and healthy surroundings. Yet, most public places such as road sides, government buildings, bus shelters, etc. still remain littered with all kinds of refuses. Therefore, our Prime Minister’s ‘Swachh Bharat’ appeal remains a continuous movement, until all our surroundings become absolutely clean.

Lot of water has flown in the last one year. There are visible changes. I wish to give one example here:

Indian Railways took the ‘Swachh Bharat abhiyan’ as a serious business and are working towards the purpose. Most railways stations are now becoming clean and tidy. Two stations along the Konkan Railway route that I have personally seen, from cleanliness angle, include Mangalore Central and Mangalore Junction stations.  The platforms are clean and tidy; there are garbage bins everywhere; attendants continuously mop the floors and try to maintain the stations clean; the toilets in the retiring rooms are clean; bill boards are pasted at strategic places appealing for a clean premise. What else.....? It is now left to those numerous everyday commuters and general public who use the railways for travel to remain vigilant and concerned always and maintain the cleanliness. Indian Railways is a massive establishment. Unless we join hands, nothing will become a reality.....

Today, 2^nd October 2015, as we remember our great and iconic leaders, viz. late Shri Mahatma Gandhi and late Shri. Lal Bahadur Shasthri, on their birth anniversary, let us reiterate our pledge for not only a clean India for us but also a better India for our Generation next.......

D. Jayarama Bhat