(Top) A cleaner ABC point during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit last Friday and the same spot lies littered with garbage on Friday. Pictures by UB Photos

April 27: Unsightly stinky garbage bins that did the vanishing act from important junctures of the city during the Prime Minister’s visit last week, are back in their designated positions overflowing in all their rotten glory.

The bins, which had apparently been removed by civic workers, have made a reappearance within days.

While municipal workers seemed to be all too punctual in their duty when the Prime Minister visited the city, they have gone back to their lackadaisical schedule — not bothering to pick up the garbage on a daily basis.

“The huge roadside bin at the ABC bus stop is overflowing with garbage, with waste spilling on the roads. Since it is not cleared on a daily basis, the trash rots and smells so awful that we don’t feel like walking on the footpath. But during the Prime Minister’s visit, we were surprised to see that the entire area was cleared. Leave alone the huge heap of garbage, even the garbage bin was nowhere in sight. If this is done routinely, the entire area will be clean all the time,” said Ramesh Singh, a resident of the ABC area.

“While municipal workers are lax in their duty, residents also litter the area with waste. If people take care to put their garbage in the bins, the area can be kept cleaner,” he added.

Residents also poured their complaints.

“The city can in no way be termed clean, with heaps of garbage lying in and around the roadside bins. While in some places these are cleared, in some area it is not cleared for days at a stretch. But the civic authorities and district administration woke up to this unpleasant fact only when some VVIP visits the city and everything is done to clean the area through which his or her convoy is to pass. Is it not their duty to make sure that the city is kept clean on all occasions?” asked Gita Barua, a resident of Ulubari.

Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) authorities blamed the people for the litter.

“The piled garbage is collected from the roadside bins through machinery and the workers are continuously on their job. But the problem will not disappear if the people keep littering the area surrounding these bins, by throwing trash on the road. They don’t bother to take a few more paces to pour the rubbish into the bin. This is why even after a bin is cleared; the area around them is filled with waste material. People, however, blame us and do not do what is required of them,” said a GMC official.

All this, despite chief minister Tarun Gogoi, wife in tow, stepping on to a Guwahati street on February 19 with a broom to goad people to keep the city clean. Dressed in a spotless cream mekhela sador, Dolly Gogoi made the perfect match to launch a cleanliness campaign.