When garbage started piling around Pfutsero, a town in Nagaland, Constable Neingupe Marhu decided to go beyond his call of duty to tackle the problem. Every day, he drives around in his van before and after work, makes multiple trips to pick up garbage himself, and disposes it safely in a dumpsite.
In Pfutsero, which is the coldest inhabited place in Nagaland, garbage started piling up in hordes when garbage trucks stopped coming entirely in the month of March. The problem has been left unaddressed because the town committee is more or less defunct and the region hasn’t held urban local bodies (ULBs) elections in years.
Realising that it was up to him to take on the responsibility, Neingupe pulled out his Maruti van and turned it into his own garbage truck. Speaking to The Wire, he notes, “I would see the dustbins overflowing with garbage on my way to work and back every day. I couldn’t take it anymore. I thought I am a public servant, why not I do something instead of complaining about it and waiting for the town council to wake up to it. So every day, for the last one week, I have been picking up garbage before my duty starts in the morning and then after work.”
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In a span of a day, Neingupe makes about 14 to 15 trips to drop off garbage at the dump site and has become a local hero. Many have taken to social media to praise him.
*Neingupe Marhu*, a traffic police constable in Pfutsero, Nagaland did what many would not. Rather then sit and complain…
Posted by The Naga Jester on Wednesday, March 29, 2017
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*Neingupe Marhu*, a traffic police constable in Pfutsero, Nagaland did what many would not. Rather then sit and complain about piles of garbage due to the Town Council truck not having tyres, he stood up to the occasion and offered his humble Maruti Van to help the citizens and his town.
Such truly are the real *Swachh Bharat Heroes* and not those posing with brooms for photo opportunities. Can we citizens/netizens help in ensuring that such Heros are acknowledged?
There are those who use official cars for the smallest of personal work and here is a simple traffic cop sacrificing his only vehicle to clean the town. Indeed, the epitome of a concerned citizen. Enough of big names and big organisations only. We need to celebrate the small corner contributors. This is the only way people who feel they are too small to contribute can at least be motivated when their work is appreciated.