Navi Mumbai: On the lines of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has also decided to paint graffiti and slogans on walls across the city as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The civic body has floated a tender to appoint a contractor to carry out the work for a year.
In order to bring about a behavioural change at the community level to properly maintain hygiene, under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, local bodies are encouraged to paint graffiti or slogans on walls. A number of paintings or messages regarding waste segregation and using toilets are being painted. According to a civic official, this is the easiest way to reach common citizens as every one notices paintings at important locations.
The PMC has floated a tender worth Rs82 lakh for painting and graffiti-making for a year. The civic body will specify the locations and themes for the paintings and graffiti. Apart from paintings related to the Swachh Bharat Mission, other government paintings will also be made.
The NMMC secured the third rank (across the country) in the cleanliness survey 2022. From colourful LED lighting to catchy slogans and graffiti, the civic body changed the look of every nook and corner under its jurisdiction. It even painted walls of many housing societies to give a new look to the city. However, the overuse of painting and colour received flak from civic activists. “The civic body painted private properties at whose cost? The taxpayers' money cannot be used for painting private properties,” civic activist Mr Rajeev Mishra said.
According to Mr Mishra, the city must be beautified as a part of the cleanliness survey, but the civic body must set a priority. “The PMC does not have its own dumping yard and water treatment plant at the tertiary level. Managing waste properly and treatment of sewage water is also part of the cleanliness survey. Instead of focusing on cosmetic changes, the civic body needs to work at the grass root level,” he said.
