Bhopal: Mayor’s jumbo team troubles shoppers

Bhopal: The cleanliness drive undertaken by mayor Alok Sharma on Thursday in Peer Gate area has drawn flak from residents. The mayor visited Peer Gate with team of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) employees to conduct cleanliness drive. About 200 sanitation workers and 50 vehicles were deployed to clean Peer Gate area.

The cleanliness drive caused inconvenience to shoppers who were mostly women and shopkeepers. They said that BMC conducted this drive only to get publicity in media.

Puneeta Tiwari, who had gone for shopping in the area, said that garbage collection vehicles hardly reach Professors’ Colony, an upscale locality, where she stays. She pointed out that 200 sanitation workers and 50 vehicles were deployed for cleanliness, which made the place so crowded that she had to postpone shopping. “The area was swept in haste. Water sprinkled on roads made them muddy as dust was not cleared fully,” she remarked and added that only 10 workers would have been enough to clean the area.

Another local resident Rashmi Sharma said Peer Gate remains filthy throughout the year. “What good they are doing by sweeping it with the help of over 100 workers in single day. They should do it regularly otherwise it is of no use to undertake cleanliness one day and leave it for rest of the year,” she told Free Press.

A passerby Kunal said that so many BMC vehicles brought for cleanliness caused traffic jams in the area. He said two to three vehicles would have been enough to clean the area.

Mayor Alok Sharma, when contacted, said that people are free to express their views. “We are ensuring cleanliness in every part of the city. I am here to spread message of cleanliness. If it is causing inconvenience to anyone, it is his or her view,” he said.