Aftermath of ‘Shanivara Santhe’ (Saturday Market)! Swachata Abuse Seen on ‘Adithyavara Belige’(Sunday Morning)
Mangaluru: Is this “Swachh Bharath” all about? People litter and make a mess, and someone else has to clean it! I don’t think so. Swachh Bharath Abhiyan is an awareness project motivating citizens of India not to litter or dump garbage wherever they feel like it. When are we learning the concept of Cleanliness? When are we learning that “Cleanliness is next to Godliness?
Here is an example of how much Swachhata is abused every single Saturday of the week by the vendors taking part in the “Shanivara Santhe” {Saturday Market/Shandy} near Kulshekar, Kaikamba junction in the City. The Santhe where you can buy vegetables and other commodities at low prices, not just heightening the spirits of people; it is also increasing the size of the mounds of garbage already plaguing the city. Left-over waste vegetables, cardboard, flowers etc that found no takers during the ‘Shanivara Santhe’ are seen every Adithyavara Belige {Sunday Morning}, blocking, painting a grim picture of the garbage collection and disposal system in the city.
Why is Mangaluru City Corporation being nice to these street vendors who come from Bagalkot, Bidar, Hassan, Sakleshpur and other parts of Karnataka, in allowing them to do business, and at the same time allowing them to leave behind a huge pile of garbage? This scene is not something new-it has been that way for a long time- and the MCC has not taken any initiative as to how they can control it- and for that matter. The ongoing problem is that once the vendors are done with their sales for the day, they leave all the mess/garbage behind, which in some places are seen piled up. It’s disgusting to see such a huge mess of waste left behind by these vendors.
DURING SHANIVARA SANTHE’ BUSINESS…..
The poor Pourakarmikas of Antony Waste Management Cell/MCC early Sunday morning were seen sweeping and collecting the waste and the garbage clearance trucks were attempting to carry out the herculean task of ridding the area of the rotting garbage. But my question is, why do MCC employees have to clean up the mess left behind by the out-of-town street vendors? Many of these street vendors are not even the citizens of Mangaluru. They don’t even pay City taxes, they just pay rent for the day that doesn’t mean they can leave their garbage for others to clean. Then why is MCC not taking any action against these street vendors who leave behind a big mess, that the Pourakarmikas have to clean up?
A frustrated and exhausted couple of MCC Pourakarmikas speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” This is not fair, leaving behind such a large mess by these vendors. They don’t even give us ten rupees to do their clean-up work. While we have to clean up the daily garbage, this additional garbage by these out-of-town street vendors is a burden for us. These vendors don’t care, nor do MCC officials care about us. Why should we have to clean the mess left behind by non-city residents? Even the street vendors who sell old clothes every Sunday near Town Hall in the City, also leave behind unwanted clothes and every Monday we get stuck with the cleaning job. We only hope that MCC will look into this matter, and warn these street vendors about their carelessness and ugliness”.
AFTERMATH OF SHANIVARA SANTHE…..
These Street vendors need to be blamed for the garbage-lined roads. Footpath vendors, mainly selling flowers, fruits, and vegetables, would dispose of the waste wherever they set up business. This is a never-ending problem in many parts of the city the vendors wind up for the day, and they leave the garbage behind, spilling on the roads, inconveniencing the commuters and shopkeepers around the areas. The garbage has become unmanageable because the number of these street vendors coming from outside using the city streets has gone up over the years. Some of us (merchants) have already discussed the issue with MCC, but all their efforts are in vain since the MCC officials have done nothing so far. This is ridiculous- on one side we are talking about Swachh Bharath, on the other hand, you are allowed to create garbage.
Although Mangaluru is ranked as one of the cleanest cities in the country, there has always been garbage and filth scattered all over the city. The MCC officials have turned a blind eye towards the garbage created by street vendors. These vendors need to be warned and fined if they leave behind garbage after their business. We believe that there is no magic wand, or silver bullet, to solve India’s or Mangaluru’s civic problems. We are realists and accept that many of Mangaluru’s problems are hard to solve even if the government and public work closely together and money is freely available.
Of our many civic problems, we view the problem of visible filth on our streets as a behaviour and attitude problem that can be solved in our lifetime (or rather, this month). This can be achieved without spending money or changing legislation or systems. It requires coming up with smart ideas to change people’s rooted cultural behaviour and attitudes. And making sure those ideas work. And to make this happen we need public support in keeping the city clean, and we also need more volunteers.
It’s time to be serious about Swachata, and action should be taken against all those who are ignorant and littering the city, including street vendors who mess up their business areas. Let’s not be ignorant- let’s appreciate the work done by MCC Pourakarmikas, volunteers of social organizations and all others who are trying to keep Mangaluru clean. We need to learn manners of cleanliness, we need to join hands with MCC and other voluntary associations who are striving to keep this beautiful coastal city clean.
Let’s not dirty it with our ignorance and dirty manners. MCC needs to educate these street vendors about cleanliness, and if they are still ignorant, punish them with hefty fines. Or at least MCC should provide a few garbage bins so that the vendors could use them to dump the garbage, instead of scattering it all over the area. Next Saturday when these vendors come to do their business on ‘Shanivara Santhe’, they need to be warned by MCC to clean up their mess when they are ready to leave the area. Hope someone in MCC will accept my request, including the new MCC Commissioner who slapped a Rs 4000 fine on a man for dumping garbage on a street in Mannagudda. How about slapping fines on these vendors who make a BIG mess? Period.
Collect Rs.100 additional clean up cess from each vendor and contract out the cleaning business to a 3rd party.