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A drive or a farce?

By Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI JUNE 14 . Senior New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) functionaries feel that there is an urgent need to make people aware about how to keep public parks in Lutyens' Delhi neat and clean. But what they have failed to realise is that it is their own employees who first need to be trained how to do perform their duties.

All these anomalies came to the fore today during an anti- littering court organised by the NDMC at the Nehru Park in the Chanakyapuri area. During the five-hour long exercise, the NDMC employees challaned just five violators which included a Council employee.

The drive began at 11 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m., and during this time, only five people were caught for littering and Rs.250 was realised from them as fine. "One of the persons caught included an NDMC employee who was deployed at the park. He was caught cycling at the green lawns of the park,'' informed the NDMC's spokesperson, Madan Thapliyal.

``But as the magistrate left the venue after the drive, the NDMC employees were seen littering the park. They not only left water bottles behind, but also scattered wrappers of "pan masala'' and toffees. Moreover, a group of employees even sat on the grass and started playing cards and smoking as if they had come for a picnic. The exercise was nothing but a sham and the Council needs to first train their staff how to behave while in a park,'' said a couple at the park who witnessed the entire drive.

Besides, the NDMC, whose senior Health and Horticulture departments officials were present, failed to take notice of at least four stray dogs who were seen loitering.

Moreover, for the NDMC it was an awareness drive on a day when the mercury soared and the park wore a deserted look. "It was a hot day and not many people visited the park. The Nehru Park has less number of trees so people generally visit here in the mornings and evenings,'' said Mr. Thapliyal claiming that their two earlier drives at Lodi Gardens were more successful where they had caught 59 defaulters.

However, the fact is that the NDMC holds its court during day- time while the people usually visit parks only during mornings and evenings so the very purpose of creating awareness among public seems defeated. And instead of having mobile court, the NDMC erects tents which makes people alert who prefer to move out of the park so that they are not penalised. Thus, thousands of rupees incurred by the Council in the drive are wasted.

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