Residents of Malkapur, a village in Toopran mandal in Medak district, decided to pick up broom to keep their village clean back in 2015 and now, it’s nothing short of a model village that has seen overall development.
It was at a meeting held on August 25, 2015 when the then Collector, Ronald Rose, motivated the villagers, particularly the youngsters, to take up the cleanliness drive. A first event as part of Swachh Bharat was held on December 6 the same year and it has been on even since.
To bring everyone together, the youth created a WhatsApp group where they discussed the work to be taken up and planned their activities that led to heightened coordination among them. Later, everything went smooth as silk.
Mandal Parishad Officer Srinivas Rao and Special Officer, Gajwel Area Development Authority (GADA), M. Hanumantha Rao motivated and supported the youngsters in taking up several programmes.
Since 2015, the village has seen the construction of 346 toilets built only in three months, construction of 470 soak pits in a month, laying of 3.8 km pipeline on a single day, tap connection to 324 houses on the same day and water supply under Mission Bhagiratha by mid-night, installation of 100 solar lights and much more. A spot at the village that has beautiful rock formations has been transformed into a Rock Garden.
Saplings that were planted have grown to give enough shade to people at every street at the village, all thanks to 120 youth who have been nurturing the plants.
“We are about 120 people and are ready to become the brand ambassadors for Swachh Bharat Mission. We request the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to take notice of what we could do in our village,” said Krishna, one of the youngsters who is part of the cleanliness drive.
Venaktesh, a representative of UNICEF, was here to attend a meeting recently when he expressed surprise over the marked change that he could see at the village. “I was having tea with others when waiting to attend the meeting. Even before we finished drinking it, an old man came to us with a waste basket to collect the cups. Such transformation is unbelievable,” he said.
Mr. Venkatesh was here to attend the meeting held to celebrate the completion of 100 weeks of Swachh Bharat Mission that began at Malakpur.
