Ranchi, Jan. 7: New Year resolutions are not new. But for Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) sticking to those has come as a pleasant surprise for many.

After traffic, cleanliness seems to be the top priority for officials of RMC. The civic body has begun launching scathing attacks on residents to exhort them to keep the capital clean.

“Wah Sunil babu! Jahan marzi vahin phenk diya kachra, Kya isi tarah karoge naye Jharkhand ka sapna pura”, (Great, Sunil babu! You have thrown garbage wherever you felt like. Is this the way you are going to fulfil the dreams of a new Jharkhand?) screams a hoarding.

Another reads: “Gutkha chabaye ya paan. Gandi na karo shahar ka shaan” (You may consume anything but do not spoil the city’s ambience).

The effort is on to personalise messages in the slogan war raised by RMC to generate awareness among residents who have long treated the streets as a dumping yard.

The civic authorities, it seems, also believes in retaining a sense of humour while driving home messages related to social issues. Some banners declare: “Wah janab! Aapke kano pe zara bhi nahin rengti juu, paan khaya aur kahin bhi uak thu (Sir! You keep yourselves clean, then why chew betel leaves and spit anywhere you feel)?

To ensure that residents do not cross the roads anywhere they feel like, the civic authorities have put up iron guard rails on road dividers. Slogans printed on hard iron plates have been put up on both sides of the rails in the hope that they catch the eye of the citizens.

“We are trying our best to raise awareness among all sections of people. Apart from educating them, our efforts are also aimed at soliciting co-operation from residents, shopkeepers and all residents,” said RMC administrator Vinay Kumar Choubey.

Everything is being done to keep the city clean. RMC has already made public its cleanliness agenda for every day of the week in addition to drawing up a schedule for undertaking fogging operations in the city, said another RMC employee.

Dustbins, located all over the city are being cleared daily and a tab is being kept on the movement of RMC tractors and dumping of garbage at the dumps located in Jhiri, 25km from Ranchi.

Even the load being carried by each RMC tractor is being monitored to ensure that both men and machines carry out their designated tasks, the RMC administrator stressed.

However, Choubey added that only self-discipline could exhort people to co-operate with the RMC in its efforts.