GMC begins keep Lall Bazaar clean drive

PARKING LOT HOSED DOWN IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

ANAND OBEROI
GANGTOK, 04 August: The Kanchanjunga Shopping Complex at Lal Bazaar owns the ignominy of having become a “Please Litter Zone,” and the Gangtok Municipal Corporation has sprung into action to repair the damage by starting a phase-wise cleanliness drive in and around the locality.
Picking up from an initiative taken by a local organisation, Rising Service Cooperative, which along with the Lal Bazaar Hawkers Association that had cleaned 300 hawking stalls on the first floor of the complex last Thursday, the GMC has now, decided that cleaning the complex will be a regular affair now.

Today (Lal Bazaar is closed on Thursdays’), armed with two fire tenders from the Fire & Emergency Services, manpower from the GMC, members of Rising Service Cooperative Society and Lal Bazaar Taxi Drivers Association, the cleanliness drive was carried out at the taxi stand on the ground floor of the complex which is one of the “dirtiest” sections of the complex since three of the massive rooms here are also used for collecting garbage from the entire complex till the UD&HD trucks arrive and clear the mart.
Speaking to NOW! this afternoon, Lower MG Marg, Councilor Sandhya Prasad, informed that the cleanliness drive was essential here since it is one of the busiest places in the capital with an average of 200 vehicles taking turns parking here every day. She mentioned that since thousands of people visit the complex everyday, the need to keep the place hygienic and clean was important.
“The complex is so busy that it is only on Thursdays that we can conduct such a drive here. What the complex showcases is also the state of the capital’s most used buildings. Keeping the complex in good condition will earn us a good name from tourists as well,” she adds.
The Lower Gangtok Councilor stressed that the GMC in its future endeavors will generate awareness among the general public by holding small camps here and also in other parts of Gangtok occasionally since this is the only way through which the message of a clean and green Sikkim can reach the masses. She added that fire tenders will be used to clean the complex once every month.
“What I also want to share is that the parking system at the complex is haphazard, which we plan to streamline by introducing new rules for parking and also renovate the stand in the coming days for smoother traffic flow,” stated the Councilor.
Also, present today for the drive were the Mayor, KN Topgay and Deputy Mayor, Shakti Singh
Lastly, the GMC representatives have also appealed to all by stating, “The Cleanliness drive is a collective responsibility and the government alone cannot always check this littering always. The general public can initiate social policing and work hand in hand for a better and healthier Gangtok. Let us all develop the feeling of ownership as this is public property.”