Strokes of paint bring sweeping change in Thane slum

When 31-year-old Lalita Kamlesh returned from work last week, she was shocked to find trash strewn outside her house. She soon remembered that she had left the garbage packet near the public toilet while leaving for work in the morning.

“The children in the slum did this to teach me a lesson on cleanliness. Although we get water and have public washroom facilities, we dumped all our trash in the forest nearby. No one comes to pick up the garbage here,” added Kamlesh.

When the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) started an initiative to change the facade of slums in Thane, the residents did not imagine it would change their entire locality. The drab, boring and dirty walls have a bright new paint now.

The team of Misaal Mumbai, which has painted many slums in Mumbai, started work in Thane a month ago.

Young volunteers, who helped the organisation paint the slum wall, have ensured that the transformed area remains beautiful. They roped in children to be watchdogs and spread the message of cleanliness.

Indiranagar is situated on the slopes of a hillock at Wagale Estate. The cluster of hutments has been neglected for years.

“All the filth and dirty water would always trickle down the slope, littering the bylanes. Every one conveniently throws garbage outside. None of the authorities bothered about cleaning the neighborhood. After the painting, the situation in the slums seems to have changed considerably,” said Rahul Singh, 24, local resident.

TMC said that it would conduct awareness campaigns that will ensure that these slum colonies are clean, with proper water supply and other facilities.

“We are glad that the painting initiative has incorporated a sense of cleanliness among slum dwellers and they feel important,” said Sanjeev Jaiswal, TMC commissioner.

Tulsabai Pawar, 43, a resident of Indiranagar slums, said that the initiative has made people adopt hygienic steps.

“My husband has the habit of chewing paan and spitting in every nook and corner, staining the wall right outside our house. After they painted the walls in bright shades, he restrains himself. Also, the children in the vicinity are keeping an eye on those who litter and reprimand litterbugs,” said Pawar.