Ujjain : Kshipra purification drive has one again become a photo op for the ministers of the state cabinet, who come and hold a sewage pot in their hands and soon photographers furiously click photos and the VIP walks away.
These photo opportunities are certainly not going to clean Kshipra but are adding to the woes of the local residents who are getting disturbed of their regular activities due to the VIP movement. On the other side Kshipra purification drive may have been one of the most positive initiatives undertaken by the government and administration, but the ground reality says that despite its efforts, Ujjanies have not shown much enthusiasm towards the programme.
Many of the persons working with the agencies during the drive alleged that in the drives politicians are nothing more than photo-ops, while the real faces behind all the hard work, Ujjain Municipal Corporation’s (UMC) own workers, go unnoticed. This concept requires public support. But so far, it seems that people are not keen on joining us, complained an official, who wished not to be named. He also said that dignitaries taking part in the drive too is a farce. “They click photos and fade away…Politicians help us spread awareness, but it is our men who do the real job and they too must be appreciated,” he said, referring to the cleanliness drive organised at Sunahari Ghat on Sunday.
For the minister it was a photo op
For Animal Husbandry minister, Kusum Mehdele, who was the celebrity of the Sunday’s cleaning drive it was a photo op, as for most of the time she was only preparing for the photos. In here mere 5 minutes if the cleaning drive she was assisted by some of the local politicos and the pain of the stench coming out from the water was clearly seen on the face of the minister. Which forced her to leave the cleaning spot within minutes and soon she moved to another photo op of plantation, where she said… arey ruko, ek topi mujhe bhi do… haa ab photo khicho. She was referring to the white caps given by the administration to the contributors bearing Simhastha logo. The statement cleared her interests and intentions for the purification drive. Central Simhastha Fair Organising Committee chairman Makhan Singh, Simhastha Fair Authority Chairman Divakar Natu, Mayor Meena Jonwal, Collector Kavindra Kiyawat, fair officer Avinash Lavania and CCF VS Dubey were present.
One side it was cleaning another open drain
On the one side of Chakratirth ghat it was cleaning drive, where hundreds of the contributors from various government agencies were scooping out a Kunda at the ghat and few meters away an open sewer line was pouring its filth in the river, making things square. And the minister walked right away over it, and was unable to see because of the mob around her. Soon the officials noticed the lacuna and launched their men to block the drain but to no avail. Another apathy that was seen during the cleaning drive was that the real sewage cleaning men were working without any protection gears or gloves while the photo ops were working with gloves and shoes. These men were working into knee deep sewage filled with human excreta and soil without any gloves or masks.
Problems remain as they were
The problems are still remaining on the ghats as they were. Due to the lack of the greenery the soil run off is a problem and is posing risk to the structures erected beside the same ghat. The roots of the plants hold the soil at its place, not allowing it to escape. But the run off was greater problem seen at the Sunhari Ghat. The forest department officials said the whole area would be made green with plantation but the question remains, do the young plants will be able to hold the dried up land or they were late in decision.
