Swachh Bharat drive may start from basti where Mahatma Gandhi stayed

NEW DELHI: On October 2, the oft-neglected residents of the capital's slums will take centrestage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch the Swachh Bharat campaign here in a move seen to be aimed at sending out a nationwide message that governance needs to touch the poorest of poor. The chosen venue is likely to be Valmiki Basti on Mandir Marg which boasts the legacy of having once been the place where Mahatma Gandhi lived in a hutment. It's, therefore, in discussions for being the most probable venue of Modi's visit on his birth anniversary.

Ministers and MPs of the NDA government at the Centre are also expected to join the cleanliness drive in various slums of Delhi. Urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said Modi will first visit Rajghat to pay homage to the Mahatma. From there he would go to a "Valmiki colony". Naidu did not confirm the name of the slum cluster. However, sources said that in all likelihood it would be the Valmiki Basti at Mandir Marg. After participating in the cleanliness drive, the PM would visit India Gate. He will take an oath of cleanliness in a programme to be directly telecast.

In a first, offices of Delhi government will be open on October 2. A circular has been issued to the city administration by Centre. Delhi chief secretary D M Spolia instructed all to administer the pledge to their staff members in their offices at 9am. He has directed DUSIB to launch a cleanliness drive at night shelters in all JJ clusters, night shelters and other such sites.

Spolia has asked all secretaries to draw up a calendar of events taking place between October 2 and October 31 with regard to the cleanliness campaign. This plan will also be sent to Naidu.

Thereafter, the officers will ensure conducting inspections of the offices and supervise cleanliness drives in their office premises.

Apart from this, the chief secretary asked officers to nominate the nodal officers in their respective departments who will submit daily report to them to further submit to the government.

He said that for this launch program Union Government will invite the Members of Parliament and other dignitaries while he as Chief Secretary will write to the MLAs of Delhi to carry out the cleanliness drive in their respective areas involving people from cross sections of the society, RWAs, NGOs for making the campaign a grand success.