Workers litter for Minister to clean up

"Sanitation workers became litterbugs on Thursday when they threw plastic bottles and crumpled pieces of paper outside the Red Fort so a Union Minister could get his photo-op while picking up the garbage. This staged littering and cleanliness drive was organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Even as Minister of State (independent charge) for Culture and Tourism Shripad Naik was speaking at the event, safai karamcharis started littering the premises by throwing used mineral water bottles and waste paper on the road, which had earlier been swept clean. As Mr. Naik wrapped up his speech, the cleaning staff were ordered to add more garbage as it didn’t look dirty enough. All the while officials associated with the event oversaw the organised littering. After he had finished, Mr. Naik was promptly handed over a broom, which he wielded with aplomb to bring about a sweeping change in the area. A casual employee of the ASI said the staff usually cleans the busy tourist spot thrice a day. “Today, we cleaned the area at 1 p.m. and were asked to keep the bottles and paper for the Minister’s visit at 4 p.m.,” said the sanitation worker who couldn’t help but smile at the irony..."