Is Modi's Clean India campaign feasible?

How can India clean up the mess? It’s a big question that needs to be answered by each and every citizen. It can be done in two ways- either the population of India should be taught and counseled about the importance of being clean or it should strictly be imposed by levying fines, penalty etc. by the government, for which a new department like the police department should be created. In my view, the latter seems to be the best way to yield results.

Smoking was the biggest problem in India. In the past, people were smoking in public places like offices, railway stations etc. But today we find that none of them are smoking in offices or railway stations because of the strict laws imposed.

Another example I would like to mention is that, jumping of signals by two/four wheelers was most common but after setting up of cameras by the traffic police department, a sense of discipline has been set in the minds of the people. So, tougher laws alone can discipline the people of India in the matter of cleanliness.

Before laws are put in place it becomes the duty of the government to put facilities in place like construction of toilets, dustbins, bathing ghats and other facilities on the river front. Plastic bags and other items made of plastic should be totally banned in the country. It is the plastic items that are the biggest culprit as it blocks the drainages and canals. Stricter penalties should be imposed upon the advertisers who paste the posters on the walls all over the city. Gutka has to be banned all over the country and not in some states alone. When we see the scavengers sweeping the roads, the gutka and cigarette packets form the single largest items in the garbage.

In schools, children should be taught the value of cleanliness. Children are faster at grasping things and hence, they should be told not to throw empty packets of potato chips, chocolates etc on the roads, after consuming them. In one of the cleanest countries like Singapore, we see that fines are imposed on people who litter the road. So, tighter laws and strict implementation is the only way forward, to solve the problem of cleanliness in India. Otherwise, it will only remain a one-day mission.