Desire to see Patna as clean as it was during the Prakash Utsav celebrations has moved a resident to take matters in his own hands.
The city streets were so clean during the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh last month, and made property dealer Umesh Mehta, a resident of Patna City, so happy that he has now taken it upon himself to install 300 dustbins around the city.
"Not only me but the other residents as well felt proud to see the city neat and tidy during the mega event," said 40-year-old Mehta.
"The guests who came for the programme from far-flung places returned home with a good idea about Patna. I don't want this to change. Our city should look like this forever. So, this is a small gesture on my part to achieve that goal."
He started installing the 300 dustbins - 100-litre drums cut into two - from Sunday, starting with Patna City. Dustbins have been set up at Mangal Talab, Begampur, Lal Imli, near Jalla Hanuman Mandir and Sati Devi Choura Sthan among other places.
With wife Tara Devi, Mehta also went around knocking doors to communicate to the people the benefits of sanitation. "We told students they would be saved from diseases and also feel good mentally if they see clean streets," said Mehta. "We hope the residents use the dustbins."
"There was a dustbin in the area around two years ago but not anymore," said Sushila Devi, a 32-year-old homemaker who lives near Guru Ka Bagh in Patna City. "During Prakash Utsav, the Patna Municipal Corporation did a great job of cleaning the streets. They installed dustbins in public places but there are still many localities without dustbins. So, it's really commendable that a resident has come forward to do the needful."
PMC officials, however, said it remained to be seen if the civic body could cart away the garbage from the dustbins Mehta is installing.
"Many people come up with such kind of endeavours but they might have some election agenda," Patna City circle executive officer Ajay Kumar said. "If we find nothing like that is the case here, we will think about removing garbage from the dustbins installed by an individual."
He added that such dustbins should not mention name of any party or even a person, as it indicated personal interest. The dustbins don't have names of political parties but just Mehta and his wife's.
PMC commissioner Abhishek Singh said that was not an issue. "Anyone is free to install dustbins around their own home and locality, but when it comes to installing them at major points of the city, s/he has to take permission from the civic body," said Singh. "The person has to clarify how the dustbins would be managed. But as far as the question of whether PMC would finally dispose the garbage is concerned, there is no issue."
