Sanpada resident’s Swacchata pledge, 8 hour toil to clean parking lot

The resident didn’t believe in tokenism and took it seriously to clean the entire parking lot adjacent to Sanpada railway station singlehandedly.

Sanpada: The appeal made to citizens by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to undertake One hour One day cleaning to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti but for Sanpada resident Nilesh Kachare, the activity went on for over 8 hours. 30 year old Kachare, residing in sector 4 on October 2, took it upon himself to clean the entire parking lot adjacent to Sanpada Railway station. The resident single handedly cleaned the entire area and collected almost 2 truckloads of garbage which was collected after much delay by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on October 4.

Sanpada resident’s Swacchata pledge, 8 hour toil to clean parking lot

The parking lot is prone to dumping of debris, construction waste and broken glass pieces. NMMC failing to include the parking lot in the list of cleaning zones for the activity is stated to be the primary reason for Kachare to take up the task personally. “NMMC earlier had released over 267 spots wherein the activity of One hour One day cleaning was to be conducted. Even though this parking lot is infamous for large scale illegal debris dumping there was no mention of this location in the list. I repeatedly informed NMMC ward officials about the spot but it was not included. I decided to do the dirty work myself,” said Kachare.

The residents’ action was filmed by a passerby. Appeals made to residents to join in the activity failed to evoke any response. “I did ask my fellow mates and even circulated in watsapp about my plan to clean the area but no one came forward. The general attitude of the public is why should I bother for the filth created by someone else but I consider it to be my duty to do whatever I can to keep the surrounding clean whether anyone supports or not,” adds Kachare.

Kachare spent almost ₹4000 on hand gloves, broomstick, gumboots and tools required to dig through the area. “A day prior I inspected the area and found that there were wild bushes filled with feces, glass bottles, debris etc. I realized that it wouldn’t be possible for me to undertake the cleaning activity without appropriate protection and tools. My efforts were appreciated in fact the ward office has even asked me to give them an application seeking from CIDCO to hand over the area for NMMC to maintain the area properly,” he said.

NMMC Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar commended the action and has asked for more such people participation to ensure that Navi Mumbai’s remains clean. “ It is appreciable that individuals personally acted upon the appeal and went out of the way to clean their surroundings. The efforts put in by the resident and likewise every other citizen or organsiation is indeed commendable,” said the commissioner.