Dwarka-based social organisation, Parmarthi, has decided to step in where SDMC failed. It has voluntarily taken the onus of making Dwarka a cleaner and a prettier city.
There’s a lot of power in people-driven initiatives, as this change is driven from within. And Dwarka-based Parmarthi proves the same. When civic bodies like DDA and municipal corporation failed in their basic duty of keeping the city clean, this social organisation decided to strike out.
And now, it has the support of the community and RWAs too.
City Spidey sat down for a freewheeling chat with the pioneer of the initiative, Ravi Tandon.
When and how did the whole thing start?
During my morning walks, I would feel terrible about the garbage on the way. Dwarka is so nicely and systematically developed — just a little effort on our part can give it a facelift. So while the authorities did nothing to make my sub-city area clean and beautiful, I decided to start my own mission in December last year. I decided to call the organisation Paramarthi ek Prayatan.
What kind of activities does your team carry out?
The main objective of Paramarthi is not only to clean, but also maintain the same level of cleanliness. So, every morning, we first clean the area already cleaned, and then we start at a new site.
What has been the response of the community and the authorities towards your work?
As far as the authorities are concerned, they are more or less silent. Some DDA personnel stopped us putting blue paint on the walls, as it was against their policy. So, we are now using their approved yellow and white to do art work on damaged walls along the roads. However, the people around the area are very happy and appreciate our work. In fact, some of the residents and RWA officials approached us to clean their area.
Paramarthi has prettied up the walls along the road in Sector 11
How do you select a site?
There’s no fixed rule or pattern. We focus on a complete area (an entire sector), complete it, and then move on. We started our mission from Gurdwara of Sector 11 and covered almost the whole of Sector 11 till now. So far, we have cleaned almost 10-12 km of roads and footpaths.
Are your efforts similar to the principles of Swachh Bharat?
I wanted to name my organisation Swachagrahi, but quit the idea. I am extremely sorry to say that this word Swachh has now lost its meaning. It’s one among many words that has been ‘politicised’ by our prime minister.
What is your message to Dwarka?
As far as cleanliness is concerned, everybody knows what we should do and what we shouldn’t. So I can only request that please don’t pile garbage on the parts where we have just cleaned. That will be appreciating us in the true sense — it will greatly motivate us.
