CLEANLINESS-IN AMERICA

INSIGHT INTO AMERICA

CLEANLINESS

Thenali Raman one day walked along with the King to riverbed. On the way he touched human waste and however best he tried, he could not remove it. The King said-better Rama-you cut off the leg!

Rama was little bit upset but managed to say that if every one start doing this the nation will be a one legged nation ( imagination )-He said and the King laughed.

When I landed in America, I saw a very different atmosphere, a very clean city. Because of sudden change of environment, I caught cold and sneezing. My Grandson cautioned me to use tissue papers to wipe out and put in the bins kept at convenient places.

After education, Americans attach much importance to cleanliness. I was astonished to see our own people changed according to the environment in America . I was also wondering why this is not possible in India.

Every household neatly pack in bags all the remnants of food and other materials and keep the same outside at a specified place-no spilling allowed- or put them in big containers.

The same system can be found in the remotest parts and in small hamlets and this habit is part of clean living. Though efforts are made in big cities in India like this-there is lot of deficiency in the system. We never tie the bag properly and many times the concerned people never take the bags away regularly.

Where dustbins are kept in India we can see litters around the dust bins and nothing inside. Street urchins and rag pickers throw indiscriminately while picking. In the dustbins, you can find dead rats, dead dogs and so on. Even the dustbins are lifted and thrown in some other places.

We are worried only about us- our house-our cloths-we take bath daily keep our house clean but not bothered about our surroundings.

As against this in America, people are worried about the surroundings and treat every place as their own.

When I was taking the bag to keep outside some papers fell down and I did not notice it. Behind one man picked the same and put it in the container. I was ashamed. He is also an Indian-not American.

Many nations have worked hard to create such an environment. They are due to hard work, people cooperation, strict laws and those who enforce the law-their honesty and sincerity and pride in their work.

As an example-take the case of Singapore.

Before independence, this nation was one of the dirtiest one-pungent smell, fish markets, and litters everywhere.

When in 1968- Lei Kwan Hue took over the charge, he took a challenge to turn this city into a beautiful on-e. Clean and attractive and the best place for visitors.

He brought various laws.

1. Fixed Penalty Bill- Cleanliness: This law imposed strict penalty of $1000/ per crime for first offence and thereafter $2000/- for every time. It includes-litters, spilling, urinating and toileting, dogs waste, pasting posters on the walls etc. There is an army called-yellow Army-Cleanliness-those who repeatedly do the crime should join this army compulsorily and clean the streets for fixed duration.

2. There is a separate division for maintaining the cleanliness and environment under this all crimes are dealt with.

3. Recently one big industrialist-Mr. Singh- wore the yellow dress and for 5-hours, he cleaned the streets-the offence for throwing out tissue paper from the car.

4. Uniform Staff will issue notice immediately and the fine should be paid immediately.

5. Instill in the mind of the people that crimes connected with cleanliness is equal to murder.

6. Municipal staff removes the rubbish immediately and should petrol the streets number of times in the shift.

7. Modern rest rooms in every ward and the maintenance of them left to voluntary organization with government subsidy.

8. Use modern machines to remove the wastes and rubbish.

9. New colonies and new houses should give undertaking that they will keep the house and surroundings clean and beautiful-then only they will be sanctioned.

10. Degree courses for environment and cleanliness.

Because of these stringent steps and laws-Singapore is a beautiful place to live and see.

Our people who often go on jumbo foreign tours to learn about all these-after return doesn’t bother to implement at least one of the above. People are crazy to start Actors Guilds but there is no guild for keeping the place clean and help to achieve healthy environment where they live.

R.Jagannathan.