Exquisite Mughal monuments encircled by manicured lawns, parks with pretty beds of seasonal flowers, spotless museums showcasing our history and culture and many cities within a city — these are some of the factors that draw foreign tourists to Delhi.
Every single day, hundreds of civic employees work tirelessly at different locations to ensure that the tourist hubs remain clean and there are no ugly spots on a photograph a tourist takes back home as a souvenir. On the face of it, it looks like Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiative is working. But, delve deeper and you find that the heritage buildings are clean not because of a sudden change in the attitude of visitors, but because people entrusted with the task of keeping it clean are doing their job well.
“If we stop doing our job even for a day, you will see the difference. Tourists litter the place as they know that there is somebody to clean up the mess,” says Prem Singh, a gardener at Lodhi Gardens.
He adds, “The initiative was launched to bring about a behavioural change can, but the attitude remains the same. People keep their houses clean, but as soon as they step out it is no longer their responsibility and somebody else needs to take care of the mess.”
Another civic employee at Humayun’s Tomb says, “When you see something so beautiful, how can you litter it. It is sad to see children coming for picnics and littering the place. Their teachers say nothing, which is sad as you have to teach youngsters to inculcate the right habits. Teachers sometimes tip us to clean the mess but that does not serve the purpose.”
An interesting trend that can be noted at most of the tourist hubs is that although the premises are clean, as you move further away towards the parking lots and the shops outside the gates, it gets filthier.
For instance, Jama Masjid is spotless but as you move away from Gate Number 3, the scene makes for quite an eyesore.
In the parking area that is shared by the Delhi Zoo and Purana Quila, recently, a bus filled with tourists had stopped for lunch before heading for the next destination.
Boxes of packed lunch were passed around, devoured by tourists sitting in the bus and then tossed out of the window leaving behind a pile of mess. When questioned, the parking attendant said that it happens all the time and someone from the safai team would come and clean it in sometime.
Malis and guards say that foreign tourists are much better than Indian tourists as they don’t even throw away a “mungphali ka cheela” on the ground.
An ice-cream vendor at India Gate says that every Sunday, thousands visit India Gate and even though there are ample dustbins in the area and one attached to his cart, he needs to tell people not to litter and more often than not, it is youngsters who he has to reprimand.
“Posters and photos of netas wielding the broom are all temporary solutions; the problem is people are used to people cleaning up after them and unless they are imposed a fine or shamed, nothing is going to change,” says Sat Pal who wakes up every morning to ensure tourist hubs look as pretty as they do in picture postcards and brochures.
