Why are we such litterbug?

[prasad1]

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Singapore became an independent country in 1965, about 20 years after India. In a few decades, it went from a being a Third World country to a developed first-world country. The architect of this transformation was Lee Kuan Yew, who served as its PM from its birth in 1965 to 1990. This is all the more remarkable because Singapore has no natural resources to speak of, and has to depend on neighbouring Malaysia even for drinking water (while in India, even neighbouring States cannot reach an amicable settlement on sharing river waters). Today, the country has the third highest per capita income in the world (higher than the U.S., Japan, and countries of western Europe), and boasts of having the world’s number one airline.


Singapore is not some small homogeneous country. It has people of diverse religions, languages, races, and culture living together in peace: Chinese, Malays, and Indians; Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Mainly because LKY realised the importance of maintaining religious tolerance and racial harmony, and was ready to use the law to counter any threat that might incite ethnic and religious violence.

..............
I know, deep down, most Indians are honest law-abiding citizens. Because I see the same people, who litter like fearless tigers in India, become meek pussycats when they go to Singapore. I think that they are emboldened to break laws here because they see their political leaders breaking all laws with impunity, being corrupt with no fear of retribution. Political corruption is present everywhere, including in Singapore. LKY addressed this by instituting the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, and giving it immense power to conduct arrests, call witnesses, investigate the bank accounts and income-tax returns of suspected persons and their families, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. India would do well to have such an institution, instead of the toothless CBI.
Why are we such litterbug? - The Hindu

 

[P.J.]

My Grand Children were in Chennai during this Summer; when i was talking to them using face time , they say asking me " Thatha, Marina Beach is full of litter'' why people do that ?

I do not have any answer.

Even educated people while travelling by Train , Even AC 2 Tier class people litter food , paper cups every where.

Indian Women allow their kids to sit inside the Toilet anywhere to relieve themselves, and make that place unusable for others.

The same type of people behave differently when they come to US or UK or Singapore .

Draining the nose and pasting the dirt on the Lamp posts are a very common site in Indian Cities and Villages.

People use Pan/Supari/ Snuff and Spit everywhere.

Relieving themselves on the side of Rail Tracks, is a very common site in India.

Any open space, or Lamp post is enough for one to relieve himself.

No proper clean toilets are found on any High ways, while Travelling by Bus Ladies find it very difficult to relieve themselves, whereas men do any where by the of a Tree .

 

[kunjuppu]

not to worry P.J. even that prime example of enforced social cleanliness viz singapore, gave up on our community.

all those threats of fines jails floggings did not apparently deter the desis from littering spitting paan and paan stained saliva on the road or on the walls. go to serangoon road, that mecca of indian community in singapore, and watch the familiar garbage on the streets, and move two streets away, back to crispy clean first world singapore, which we all admire.

the singapore authorities apparently gave up policing that neighbourhood, in the face of such mass digression and disrespect for the law.

must be in our genes, as someone said in another thread. .. outward dirtyness. inward 'purity'?

 

[P.J.]

kunjuppu

I thought that our Desi people behave well in Singapore!!

Yes, you are right, our Gene, but I doubt whether your outward dirtyness. inward 'purity'? is 100% right? Inward Purity portion.. May be a very small percentage.

 

[Raji Ram]

Brahmins are supposed to be clean people! But is it really true?

Please have a look at this photo taken during a betrothal ceremony of my cousin's daughter...

One gentleman moved his chair over the spilled coffee so that people will not skid and fall down!

 

[Raji Ram]

We had tough time when we moved to our newly built sweet home in 1985. There is a school compound adjacent to our

house and it was used freely by கண்ட இடத்தில் ஆடை அவிழ்க்கும் ஜகன்நாத்தர்கள் (kaNda idaththil Adai avizhkkum

jagannAththargaL)! Most of the children from the slum opposite to our main road used this road as public toilet. If I drive
them away, their mothers used to shout at me saying that this is not my appan's road! :kev: Even after so many years,

the compound wall of the school continues to stink. Sometimes I feel like keeping a few snakes along this compound wall
to threaten people. :scared:

 

[Raji Ram]

There are many bad habits I see in people around me.

Hence this write up.....

பிடிக்காதவை சில…

மாடு உருண்டதுபோல் படுக்கையை விட்டுச் செல்லுவது!
வீடு தேடி வந்து அழைப்பு மணியை ஓயாமல் அடிப்பது!

பல் தேய்க்கிறேன் பேர்வழி என்று பல்வித ஓசை எழுப்புவது!
“மில்க் குக்கர்” அடுத்த வீட்டில் “உச்ச ஸ்தாயியில்” அலறுவது!

குளியலறை ஓரம் அழுக்கு நுரை விட்டு செல்லுவது!
ரயிலில் வந்த பெட்டிகளைப் படுக்கை மீது பரத்துவது!

தாம் “போனில்” பேசும்போது பின்புறத்தைக் காட்டுவது!
நாம் “போனில்” பேசும்போது பின் பாட்டுப் பாடுவது!

பிறர் தூங்கும் வேளையில் “தடா புடா”வென உருட்டுவது!
சுவர்மீது எண்ணைத் தலை வைத்து வட்டம் வரைவது!

அவசரமாய்ச் செல்லும்போது அரட்டை அடித்து ராவுவது!
அடுத்தவர் தொலைபேசியில் அலுக்காமல் பேசுவது!

பஸ்ஸில் நிற்கையில் முதுகில் மூச்சு விடுவது!
கண்ட இடத்தில் ஆடை அவிழ்த்து “ஜகன் நாத்தம்” செய்வது!

தண்ணீர்த் தட்டுப்பாட்டில் “நயாகரா” போல் குழாய் திறப்பது!
வண்டிச்சேறு மண்டிய செருப்பை வீட்டினுள் வைப்பது!

விருந்தினர் வந்தபோது நடு வீட்டில் உறங்குவது!
விருந்தினரிடம் பேசாமல் தொலைக்காட்சியில் மெய் மறப்பது!

சாப்பிடும்போது நாக்கை நீட்டி உணவை உள்ளே தள்ளுவது!
எதிர் நின்று பேசும்போது குடை தேட வைப்பது!

உம்மணாம் மூஞ்சியாய்க் காலைப் பேப்பர் படிப்பது!
“குட் நைட்” கூடச் சொல்லாமல் படுக்கையில் விழுவது!!

P.S:

My friend asked me, 'If one guy has ALL these bad habits, what will happen?'

My answer: 'Divorce!!' :bolt:

 

[auh]

Very true. I dread travelling in trains.

Lack of respect for the environment, utter disregard for public property, and a devil may care attitude towards cleanliness are perhaps the trademarks of Indians/Pakistanis/Bangladeshis/Sri Lankans.

But it is not as if the whites are pristine. Their concept of personal cleanliness is apalling, to say the least. I see Brits, Aussies etc., wiping (not washing) their hands after meals or after licking their fingers or after picking their nose. Not to mention paper wipes for you know what. Disgusting.

I would say Indians are better off as regards personal hygiene, if we leave out those that are living in abject poverty (for a just comparison). Abject in environmental cleanliness.

 

[sarang]

In one tv program, an adventurer driving 2000 miles non-stop in his specially modified vehicle - he couled even change a punctured wheel without stopping - in addition to the necessary comforts, kitchen, toilet etc. He made a statement while showing the toilet. "When you have got to go, you have got to go".

I have seen a white young bearded man pissing on the railway station fence in sidcup, UK; when on a long drive in the east german (of course after the merger) country road, my host had to stop the car to relieve himself (I was also advised to do it). I have seen this in japan, italy and france as well. If our friends in US or canada have managed to live a life of holding back and reabsorb as bears do in hibernation, when toilet facilities are not available, they deserve bharataratna. Since the quantity and frequency are less, the pollution is not smelt.

Public conveniences are virtually nil in towns and cities; indian railways has done nothing to fit chemical toilets in trains; only new malls in cities provide clean toilets. The government central, state and local must build the necessary infrastructure.

Narendra modi, in his recent speech said the main reason for school dropout among girls, is the absence of toilet in schools. He said that drop out reduced significantly when all schools built toilets.

In pune, the local govt installed single user fiberglass urinals with water tank on top at several junctions; these fell into disuse due to non supply of water and poor maintenance.

 

[sarang]

Like hotel parties, the staff who supply coffee or drinks collect empty cups too. And if the contractor's supervisor, who is normally hovering around, is informed, he gets a person to clean the spill. That is my experience.

Brahmins are supposed to be clean people! But is it really true?

Please have a look at this photo taken during a betrothal ceremony of my cousin's daughter...

One gentleman moved his chair over the spilled coffee so that people will not skid and fall down!

 

[sarang]

The apartment dwellers in srirangam (jayalalitha's constituency) melur road too faced a similar problem; they approached the collector for solution. The toilets built for the slum was decrepit and non funtional. The toilets were repaired and upgraded and the road became usable within a week. Local corporator can do a lot to improve the situation. In our area, our corporator from the raj thackeray party is very active and has done a lot. Benches in vacant areas (which normally attract litter) for senior citizens of the area (the board says so), free transport from the main road to the societies about 1.5km away for maids and servants, water pandal in summer, on call ambulance service (the van is parked in the colony of about 10000 people). But no toilet and pollution level is very low to cause any nasal/visual attack.

We had tough time when we moved to our newly built sweet home in 1985. There is a school compound adjacent to our

house and it was used freely by கண்ட இடத்தில் ஆடை அவிழ்க்கும் ஜகன்நாத்தர்கள் (kaNda idaththil Adai avizhkkum

jagannAththargaL)! Most of the children from the slum opposite to our main road used this road as public toilet. If I drive
them away, their mothers used to shout at me saying that this is not my appan's road! :kev: Even after so many years,

the compound wall of the school continues to stink. Sometimes I feel like keeping a few snakes along this compound wall
to threaten people. :scared:

 

[renuka]

When I was a kid..none of us threw rubbish anywhere cos every student had to pick up any rubbish around the school before school starts.

No one liked doing that so we all behaved and never threw rubbish so that we did not have to pick up rubbish the first thing in the morning before class starts.

But I felt that rule was good..it trained all of us not to litter.

Ok now when it comes to India...I feel people do not practice what they preach....everyone talks about Bhuma Devi,Bharata Mata..there is a shloka to chant to ask Bhu Mata to forgive us for walking on Her but surprisingly people have no problems throwing rubbish on Her!

 

[vgane]

It is not just spitting or urinating on roads; we do not put the garbage in the assigned spot...We once had a vacant plot in our house at Chennai...Soon it became the spot for throwing litter..A mole became a mountain of garbage...The Corporation guys turned a blinds eye to it as it was not a designated spot for garbage collection...Ultimately we had to tell the owner of the plot to get it removed as it was emitting a foul smell..He was also asked to construct a compound wall in the vacant plot to prevent dumping in future

If Garbage is collected and incinerated/ recycled a big problem can be solved...I think most cities have outsourced it to different agencies...There is no proper monitoring and review of the entire process...

Also the accountability is not clearly defined with multiple agencies...In case of a problem whom should the public contact...A single nodal officer should be accountable & his/her coordinates should be widely published

 

[V.Balasubramani]

Sir,

Pranams

In T.Nagar, at South Usmon Road, there is a junction connecting a street. I used to visit my friend’s office located nearby. The junction was nothing but an open toilet with many answering nature’s call. Those who happened to cross this junction necessarily have to close their nose to avoid foul smell. The owner of the building tried his best by adopting various strategies. At one point of time, he painted the Compound Wall and wrote sign board to the effect that ‘Urination at the spot will entail severe action’. No body bothered. And the situation never changed but has become worst. When he found that all his efforts failed, he came up with a new idea. One fine morning, he arranged to clean the area and pasted big size tiles displaying pictures of Gods of Religions at the corner of the compound Wall. After this, the situation turned upside down. Now those who pass that corner, at times keep incense, flowers, etc and the area has become neat with fragrance of doop sticks. It is an instant case where I found public heeds only to Gods. But the strange thing is, the temple in my place is not maintained that much neatly by the devotees, which is a concern.

With regards.

 

[Raji Ram]

Three photos taken at Sing. Chennai Marina beach!

 

[Raji Ram]

 

[Raji Ram]

 

[Raji Ram]

Indians fear ONLY punishment! Spot fine / jail for a few days might help improving the situation.

Before that, public toilets have to be constructed and maintained by the corporation.

 

[Raji Ram]

Oh! This did not happen in India.

Man Urinates In Portland Water Reservoir, City Drains 8M Galloons to prevent Pee-Drinking

 

[P.J.]

Stink gara chennai

 

[Raji Ram]

This photo is taken in Delhi! Only the interior city is clean.

 

[Raji Ram]

Trash in the Himalayas! out:

 

[biswa]

Three photos taken at Sing. Chennai Marina beach!

Isnt this supposed to be a romantic spot? Why are your eyes only seeing the garbage RR madam?

 

[V.Balasubramani]

Sir,

A lovely beach for lovebirds too to litter freely !!


With regards

 

[auh]

Isnt this supposed to be a romantic spot? Why are your eyes only seeing the garbage RR madam?

Marina is a romantic spot for paid lovers !