Though few decades back cleanliness in government offices was a passion but after the assumption of office of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi three years back the present day rulers have made the cleanliness in government a fashion just for the purposes of political appeasement in almost all the states of the country and Jammu & Kashmir is not an exception. Now a day the directorates down to the level of tehsils and blocks are undertaking cleanliness drives under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachta Hai Campaign”) in the office complexes, hospitals, colleges and schools and consequently most of the time is consumed in these cleanliness drives launched for the purposes of political appeasement. In past also the officers and the employees were out of passion trying to keep all public institutions including government offices, hospitals, colleges and schools but special drives were never undertaken just to ensure that normal work in the public institution is not disturbed. Unwise and unadvisable practice of the municipal corporation in Srinagar and municipal bodies in towns of Kashmir valley is the sweeping of the roads in the wee hours near bus stands where school children board the buses. Interestingly the timing of the sweeping of roads choosen by municipal employees coincides with the timing of school children for boarding the buses and resultantly school children are irritated to see sweepers sweeping the roads the time they are about to board the schools buses. In Jammu the winter capital of the state and major towns of Jammu region the sweeping of roads is done within one hour immediately after the sun rise but unfortunately the same practice followed in Kashmir in yesteryear is not followed by municipal authorities now in Srinagar the summer capital of the state and major towns of Kashmir valley.
Unfortunately the officers right from the level of directorates down to the level of tehsils and blocks are pushing employees out on the streets to do the sweeping on the roads under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachta Hai Campaign” during working hours just for the purposes of political appeasement at the cost of the routine work in government offices and public institutions like hospitals, colleges and schools and with this they have changed a passion of the general public into a fashion.
Sweeping public institution or public places during working hours makes no sense and sweeping is not the job to be done by people in all the public institutions but is solely the domain of the municipal bodies. As regards the sweeping in public institutions the fact remains that in almost all the public institution sweepers are appointed on regular basis and they can do the sweeping in non working hours before commencement of the work hours or after the working hours as this was the routine practice followed always in almost all the public institutions. Unfortunately the officers right from the level of directorates down to the level of tehsils and blocks are pushing employees out on the streets to do the sweeping on the roads under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachta Hai Campaign” during working hours just for the purposes of political appeasement at the cost of the routine work in government offices and public institutions like hospitals, colleges and schools and with this they have changed a passion of the general public into a fashion. Such unwise and unhealthy practice has more disadvantages and namesake advantages in the conduct of routine business in government office and public institutions like hospitals, colleges and schools and henceforth don’t need to be stopped forthwith.
