By Srishti Chauhan:
This article relates to every city in India.
In this article, contrary to what some might think, I will not berate the Delhi Government in relation to its failed policies. No, I’ll not even give everyone a list of how they have failed Delhi or how who has failed Delhi. We all know that somehow or the other it’s either us or some people amongst us who have failed our city- and more largely, our country. In this article I shall just enumerate some things which I noticed about the way other countries (and yes, that does include USA) keep their countries like they are.
Firstly, here in USA, I saw so many boards on streets that said “Neighborhood Watch”. What this means is that people in a particular neighborhood take the responsibility of the crimes in that area. For the bigger crimes, of course, people involve the police. However, what “Neighborhood Watch” does is that it reduces the frequency and intensity of crimes in an area. Moreover, a group of persons together take responsibility of a street- and hence the burden on one individual is not too much to bear. As time passes, the vigil can reduce- thus, decreasing the responsibility enforced per person.
Secondly, there is a concept of adopting a street in terms of cleanliness. In Delhi we are all heavily dependent on the MCD for removal of garbage and putting up dustbins. However, maintaining general cleanliness in a street is something that can be taken up on a community wide basis.
Many people might think that taking all the responsibility from the government is foolishness because that’s the very purpose for which government bodies were elected and made in-charge. True! If we were to do all that the government does then there would be no need of the government at all. Yet, I personally feel that at some point in time it is good to be in control of what is happening around you. The governments in the developed countries also do not function independent of the support from their countrymen. If you choose to break traffic lights and then complain about how no one follows rules then it’s like robbing a house and commenting about how unsafe the place is.
Thirdly, what we can all do is be patient while driving. In India, with the multitude of vehicles around, it’s extremely difficult to be patient. With jaywalking pedestrians it’s more difficult to keep your cool. And lastly, with the amount of traffic around, it’s a herculean task to even try to be patient with all of this. Yet, I ask you to be a little patient. Not much. Just a little more than you already are! It can improve the traffic situation so immensely that we can hardly imagine. Who would not want to thrash that idiot who is honking continuously in a bid to overtake your vehicle? So, won’t the better option be to eliminate the idiot altogether?
Another thing which people complain constantly about is the dust in the environment. The reason for this dust is the loose mud and sand that gets blown by the winds. The solution that is conceived by many countries to this problem is to plant grass at all places where the mud is. This promotes a sense of greenery and helps reduce the dust in the environment as well. Moreover, this does not require much maintenance. The seeds are extremely cheap and if you’re not dying of starvation then you can definitely purchase them. During winters watering them once in 3-4 days and during summers watering about once a day is more than enough.
With these steps, maybe- just maybe- we’ll be able to create better lives for ourselves. After all, at the end of the day, it’s MY Delhi and I do care!