A few months ago, Lakshmi Narayan J. was called upon to do something that government conservancy workers had pronounced undoable.
He had to rid the Housing Board apartments in Visalakshi Thottam, Mylapore, of garbage that had accumulated over the last 13 years. In an area that was 150 feet long, there were all types of garbage. To give you a picture, shards of glasses, knots of plastics, mattresses, pillows, slippers and even human excreta. As the pathways between the blocks were narrow, machinery for collecting garbage could not be brought in.
So, Lakshmi Narayan and his 15-member team waded into knee-deep garbage, and in a “battle” lasting 12 days, removed five tonnes of garbage, and freed the residential quarters of squalor.
He offers this cleaning service for free. He hates filth wherever he finds it, and does not hesitate to have it removed.
A resident of Veerabadran Street in Mylapore, Lakshmi Narayan works in the housekeeping department at Mayor Ramanathan Chettiar (MRC) Hall in MRC Nagar. In a month, he is expected to report for duty for 15 days.
“In the remaining 15 days, I clean streets and schools,” he says.
Lakshmi Narayan and his team have cleaned government schools and hostels for the visually-challenged. Government Model Higher Secondary School and Lady Willingdon Higher Secondary School, Triplicane, are among the schools Lakshmi Narayan has cleaned up.
An ardent follower of former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, he does this work pro bono , along with his three-year-old team, which consists of 25 members. The group is called “The Leaders Team”. Lakshmi Narayan says he does not take money for public service; even if he gets paid, he distributes it equally among the members of his team.
He also provides them with snacks and food.
Aware of his mission, residents relentlessly pursue Lakshmi Narayan with cleaning requests, which is accepts without a frown, no matter how busy he is.
“They call on me when the officials fail to turn up to fix a problem. My recent work, for example, came from an elderly woman who was dealing with water stagnation on her street due to uneven road levels. I attend to such requests whenever I am free from my work," he says.
'Let's fix it'
Lakshmi Narayan also fills potholes with construction debris and rubble.
“It takes only 20 minutes to fill potholes. My team and I carry out such work as early as 3 a.m.,” he says, adding that they recently undertook such work on Madhava Perumal Temple Street.
The team undertakes complex cleaning work.
For example, on Warren Road, they cleared the inlets of stormwater drains and removed invasive plants, besides clearing the garbage on the stretch.
“Sadly, the residents were disposing of their garbage on an empty plot, despite a dustbin kept 10 feet away from the plot. I gather the garbage and dump it at a Ramki-designated place on Warren Road," he says.
He also assists the traffic police regulate traffic during rush hour.
"I used to ferry students to their school. After dropping them, I would lend a hand to the traffic police in regulating traffic jams. I continue the practice even today. If I find myself in a traffic snarl, I get restless. Parking my vehicle at a safe spot, I help motorists get out of the traffic knot.”
Lakshmi Narayan J. can be reached at 8939368919.
