Gwalior ropes in bhajan singers and children to stop people from throwing garbage in the open

<p>
<strong>Adopting an innovative approach towards the issue of cleanliness, Gwalior Municipal Corporation, Madhya Pradesh has come up with a novel idea of dissuading people from throwing garbage in the open.</strong></p>
<p>
The civic body of the city has decided to play “Ramdhun” (chanting Lord Ram’s name) in front of those houses, whose occupants are found throwing garbage in the open.</p>
<p>
The basic objective of sending bhajan singers to sing is make the people realise their mistake and also make them feel ashamed of their uncivil act, motivating them to work with the administration in keeping the city clean.</p>
<p>
Besides this, the administration has also decided to form a team of children in each locality to spread awareness about not dirtying the roads and instead give to the Corporation’s collection vehicles.</p>
<p>
The body has a back-up plan too if this doesn’t work as those who despite fair warning continue flouting the rules, will be asked to pay up fines to be imposed for such violations, informed a senior official of the Gwalior Municipal Corporation (GMC).</p>
<p>
Sharing details of this move with the media Kishore Kanyal, GMC Commissioner said: “The sanitation employees of the civic body are carrying out door-to-door collection of garbage through vehicles. But several people are still throwing garbage outside their houses, on roads or in public places.”</p>
<p>
He added that such residents will be requested and warned to handover their household garbage to the GMC-run vehicles. “But if they do not mend their ways, then a group of Bhajan singers will be sent to such houses to  recite Ramdhun. Even if the situation doesn’t improve, then a fine will be imposed on them.”</p>
<p>
Over the week, Kanyal disclosed that GMC had imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the shopkeepers and households for throwing the garbage on roads. The corporation is determined to ensure 100 per cent door-to-door collection of garbage in the city. Incidentally Gwalior slipped from 15th position from its earlier 12th in the national cleanliness survey.</p>
<p>
Madhya Pradesh’s largest city, Indore, got the top position in the survey for the fifth time in a row while Bhopal, the Capital came seventh.</p>