Residents of the Aashiana Colony of Fancy Bazar finally breathed a sigh of relief as garbage collectors came to collect the mounds of garbage that had accumulated over the course of a few weeks. The residents of the area had been trying to contact the authorities for over a month after their private sweeper had died.
The problem brought into perspective the issue of garbage and filth that plagues the area, which is further exacerbated due to a severe lack of civic sense among people.
The area of Fancy Bazar receives hundreds of visitors daily, with the numbers going up even more during festive seasons like Holi, Durga Puja and Diwali. The visitors come from all backgrounds and across all groups as it is the prime shopping destination in the city.
However, the first thing a visitor would notice upon arrival would be the garbage. Every corner of every street is an unofficial garbage dump and it is impossible to walk two paces without stepping on spit or spit stains. Many people have a habit of spitting everywhere, which is concerning especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation highlights the apathy of the public in regard to their own surroundings and a lack of public hygiene practices among the people.
ALSO READ: What Is ECI's Model Code Of Conduct?
“It’s absolutely disgusting how unbothered people are about basic manners and hygiene. They spit everywhere. Even the shopkeepers themselves are seen chewing tobacco and then coming out and spitting near their own shops. Not to mention the garbage. Even the educated members of the public are regularly seen littering the place. It’s a nightmare,” a resident of the area complained.
Another area resident pointed out the lack of dustbins in the area and said, “This market is very well-established and it is known that it gets a lot of crowd every single day. Then how come there are no dustbins? The only dustbins we see sometimes are kept by the shop owners. How come the authorities are not taking these basic measures? What happened to Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan?”
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 to stop open defecation in India and eliminate this vice by October 2, 2019, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The Swachh Bharat Mission official website states that “the programme led to the construction of over 10 crore individual household toilets, taking sanitation coverage from 39% in 2014 to 100% in 2019 when around 6 lakh villages declared themselves Open Defecation Free (ODF).”
The effects are not much visible in Guwahati though, including the Fancy Bazar area, as evident from the overpowering stink that emanates from countless random spots in the area, especially near drains.
Click Here To Join Our WhatsApp Channel
However, the problem is most prevalent in the riverfront, including on Lachit Ghat, as tourists are often subjected to the nasty view of several people openly urinating into the Brahmaputra River.
“My cousin was visiting from our village and we went to Lachit Ghat to enjoy the sunset. However, we saw at least 2 people openly defecating on the Ghat itself in front of the statue. It really put a damper on the view and both of us were too disgusted to stay there so we left immediately,” a college-going student told GPlus.
The incident is all too common as the Lachit Ghat, which was inaugurated in 2016, has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and filth. Various groups organize cleanliness drives at the Ghat regularly but the effects only last a few days before it goes back to how it was.
The Guwahati Municipal Corporation will need to raise alarm bells and take action to safeguard public health and hygiene via the installation of dustbins, awareness campaigns to educate the people and imposition of fines before anything serious occurs which may pose a threat to the public.
