Bangalore: Read 'maadi', lead 'maadi, then 'swalpa' clean 'maadi'

Exemplifying how residents can take up matters in their own hands to improve their local and civic conditions, a group of citizens under the guid ance of Resurgent India gave an impressive make over to Manorayanapalya, C Main, Chamundi Nagar Main road, in RT Nagar on Sunday.

The locality was in a mess (see pic) for over eight years, when Resurgent India chairman Rajeev Gowda (also professor of public policy, IIM-Bangalore) decided to take the matter with the residents and give the place a make over with their own hands. In association with the ward corporator Foujiya Begum and local residents led by Abdul Wajid, they demonstrated how they could fix the problem with a few hours of hard work after a four-day study on how to tackle the problem.

Gowda is taking this up under a campaign titled “Swalpa Clean-up Maadi” (Just clean up). What they demonstrated on Sunday morning until afternoon was just a pilot project. The said spot (in picture) had turned out to be a hazardous nightmare for passers-by and residents of the locality–until Sunday.

Wajid had felt that the spot was impossible to fix and everyone had given up on it, which explained why the problem persisted for eight long years. This indeed was taken as a challenge to demonstrate how a joint community effort can bring change.

The clean-up drive was conducted in a scientific manner, where a team of volunteers observed the behavioural patterns of the locals and the pourakarmikas. Over the past four days, the problem was studied, the garbage removed, footpaths, kerbs and potholes fixed, and the black spot was finally eliminated on Sunday.

Sudhir NC, whose home is adjacent to the erstwhile garbage dump, was happy to witness the change.

“The spot was a health hazard not only for me, but a nuisance for the passers-by as well.
This is a main road of the locality and has been in a sorry state for so many years”, he said.

He requested the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials and citizens to maintain the made-over spot.

After the clean-up drive, Gowda interacted with the citizens and educated them on concepts like nGoG (no Garbage on Ground) to prevent such black spots in the future.

“When citizens, corporators and officials come together, we can transform Bangalore from a garbage city to a Garden City,” he said.