Aiborlang Nongsiej
Bosco B.Ed College, Dimapur
There is a famous saying which goes ‘if all people sweep their own compound every day the whole world will be clean’. Reading your daily esteem newspaper on October 2, 2017, it is very encouraging to see different organizations, towns, schools and villages around Nagaland coming together to clean their own localities in the name of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This is the biggest achievement of the society to impart the value of cleanliness to our younger generation which is clearly seen on the Gandhi Jayanti Day.
Personally I salute the leaders who took an active part in organizing the people to clean their own localities on that special day of our country. On the contrary, let me also not hide of what I have seen and observed in these past few years living in Dimapur town. As a concern citizen of Dimapur I am very upset to see people in the market indiscriminately throw their litters at any place they are standing or walking in and around the Dimapur town. Shopkeepers clean their own shops and throw the rubbish either on the side of the road or into the drain.
The other day as I was walking around the town to buy something for my personal requirement, I saw so many dustbins on both sides of the Lotha road are empty, while full of litters are around those dustbins and on the drain of that particular road. Therefore, I do not know those dustbins are meant for what? Remember Nagaland is a state with more than 80 percent of literacy rate according to the recent census and environmental studies is compulsory to all the students. If 80 percent of our citizens are literate why should be the 20 percent who are illiterate control our society of not knowing the value of cleanliness? It is very sad to see our market becoming dirtier and dirtier day by day while the dustbins provided by the DMC are empty.
Another day I asked an educated person, ‘why are you throwing waste plastic on the ground and not on the dustbin that is just ahead of you?’ The person replied quite harshly, ‘others too are also throwing their rubbish here on the ground and the place is already dirty, while bother me alone.’ This is a simple example of how we educated people are contributing to dirty our own market places. By saying this I do not mean to condemn the educated people neither the uneducated, instead I want to remind all of us about the importance of keeping the place clean and to make use of the dustbins that are provided to us by the DMC.
Of course, with a high population like India to keep the market clean is impossible but if all the people have a clear mentality of the importance of cleanliness as on the 2nd of October, our market places will look very different as it was on any other days before. Let us not forget even our governor P.B Acharya on his recent visit to Dimapur spoke of the importance of cleanliness in which he emphasized with the old living phrase ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’. It is very hurting to see the drains on both sides of the road are full of litters and block the water to pass through especially on the rainy days. It is also very unfortunate to see people travelling on different vehicles and throw their rubbish from the windows of the vehicles.
The question is, why are they not keeping those wastes and throw them in the dustbins that are on the side of the road? To keep the place clean is not difficult if all the people cooperate and develop a good mentality about cleanliness. Therefore I humbly request the citizens of Dimapur to continue the spirit of Swacch Bharat in all the days throughout the year and not only on the 2nd of October.
If this spirit continues then it will have a great impact on our younger generation. Thus, to keep our Dimapur town clean and better of what it is right now let us fully make use of the dustbins that are provided to us by the DMC. Certainly, Dimapur town will look different and better in terms of cleanliness if all the people make use of all the empty dustbins around the town.
