JAGATSINGHPUR: Drive around the streets of Raghunathpur bazaar here and chances are you might run into a gentleman sweeping the road. This man can be spotted cleaning streets at any time of the day.
For the last 17 years, 47-year-old Dalit man Nrusingh Mallick of Kharipadia village has been cleaning the streets in the market, adhering to the motto ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’.
While crores of rupees are being spent for promoting cleanliness through Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), no sustainable effort has been taken by the Government to achieve the goals of cleaning up streets and setting up public infrastructure in the town. At a time when Raghunathpur Municipality has failed to ensure sanitation in the town, Nrusingh has brought sweeping changes on this front.
Nrusingh wakes up in early morning and pedals his trolley to Raghunathpur bazaar, three km away from his village, to clean the streets and ensure a garbage-free market. Every day, he cleans the streets of Bada Bazaar, Sana Bazaar, Hat Bazaar, Narayani Chowk, Nuabazaar, Post Office Chowk, Medical Chowk, Block Chowk, Police Station Chowk and Jagannathpur Bazaar. Besides, he cleans the statues of Gopabandhu and Biju Patnaik and sweeps the premises every day. He collects garbage and waste from different places on his trolley to dump it on isolated places. Impressed by his service, few shopkeepers used to give `5 to `10 for cleaning streets in front of their shops, while his efforts are yet to be recognised by the civic administration, said locals.
Stating that ‘Swachhata hi seva hai’, Nrusingh said, “Cleanliness and sanitation are an integral part of living, but people have completely neglected it. So, I had decided to clean my village and market when I was 30. If all residents clean their village streets and public places, there will be no need of huge-funded sanitation drive like SBM.”
After death of his wife, he has not stopped his cleanliness drive despite having family responsibility of taking care of his two children. However, he has been deprived of the Government assistance including housing facilities.
Sarpanch Pramila Mallick said Nrusingh’s dedication towards sanitation is praiseworthy. Despite acute poverty, he has dedicated his life for cleanliness and sweeping of the village and Raghunathpur market since long. Recently, the Block Development Office has sanctioned an IAY house to him and steps are being taken to install a tubewell at his village, she added.