Akangjungla
The lack of civic sense of the general public was on full display as the Dimapur Municipal Council employees under the Dimapur Municipal Council Employees Welfare Union (DMCEWU) including 170 sanitation workers resumed their ‘No Pay, No Work’ agitation over withheld salary since July month on Tuesday (October 25, 2022). On receiving a letter from the Municipal Affairs Department, Government of Nagaland in connection with the ongoing agitation, the Executive Body had an emergency meeting in DMC office premises on October 26 and resolved to temporarily suspend the ongoing agitation till November 8, 2022.
The heaps of unattended garbage soon caught the attention of all the media houses in the commercial hub, Dimapur which was evident from the fact that the stinking garbage story made it to the front page in the local dailies. One of the leading newspapers reported that commuters, particularly in the main town areas, were seen covering their faces to ward off the foul smell emanating from the garbage heaps. They have highlighted in their report that ‘New Market being the business hub, huge wastes were generated daily that was usually collected during the evening, which had stopped completely since Tuesday evening.’ It was the not only the commuters but everyone in the area who were affected by the garbage piling up in the market place. Another newspaper report highlighted the apprehension among the shopkeepers on falling victim of dengue, besides the nuisance of obstructing traffic and health hazards.
The issues of paying the DMC workers, and maintaining proper waste management and sanitation in the city might be the responsibility that lies with the government and local bodies, but the heaps of garbage piling up in the middle of the town points towards a more serious issue - lack of civic sense. Here the public cannot blame the government or the municipal alone. Throwing garbage everywhere in the open and public places cannot be the mark of a responsible citizen who has a civic sense. To be called civilized does not come with degree or education neither with economic status or brands, but with the basic understanding of the concept of civic sense. It is the most common sight to see people throwing garbage out of their moving vehicles or dropping it by the roadside in the open and these acts indicate the complete lack of civic sense.
With or without the sanitation workers having to go on agitation for their rights, citizens have to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the city clean. It is on the public to act and practice smart for a clean, safe and healthy surrounding and not let their civic sense go down in the gutter.
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