Home to at least a dozen significant government departments and ministries that are just a stone’s throw away from the Parliament, the Shastri Bhawan complex stands out in terms of cleanliness when compared to the Krishi Bhawan, Shram Shakti Bhawan, the CGO Complex, and the Scope Complex.
This is mainly because of the emphasis on effective division of labour, abundant availability of means for temporary disposal of garbage in the form of dustbins, which is followed up with almost immediate removal of garbage. But, most significantly, time is believed to be of the utmost essence when it comes to the exercise.
“We work in small teams of 4 that take over small segments of the main road, and take turns to remove the spotting of garbage on the road. We make sure it is collected, segregated and moved to the nearest dustbin, which then becomes a pick-up point from where it is taken further,” said Chandan Singh, a sweeper. He added that clean dustbins were, as per instructions, “very important”.
According to contractor Suresh Chand Beniwal, while the same procedure was followed across the 14 circles that the NDMC area has been divided into, Shastri Bhawan’s proximity to the Parliament necessitated the need to begin tidying it up as early as possible.
“Irrespective of whether or not the Parliament is in session, we believe that if visitors find a place clean when they visit, they are more likely to leave it almost as clean,” he said.
“Garbage is generated throughout the day, and we understand that beginning early and ensuring that the dustbins are clean for as long as possible will ensure that lesser number of visitors feel the need to litter,” he added.
