Editor,
Through your esteemed newspaper, I wish to share my thoughts on the developing outrage in the Readers’ Forum regarding the IMC garbage truck jingle, which has been termed tormenting.
There has been a continuous complaints from readers regarding municipal corporation garbage trucks playing the swachhta. Moreover, the municipal body has also been compared to a dog’s tail, lacking accountability, civic sense and irresponsible towards townspeople’s demand.
But let’s try to understand what the actual objective behind such curated songs is. The song serves as a tool for behavioural change communication, encouraging people to adopt clean habits as part of daily lives. Using repetitive and catchy lyrics like ‘Gaadi wala aaya hai, kachra nikhaal’ itself directs awareness about avoiding littering or piling up the garbage at designated spots in the localities. These garbage spots undermine the efficiency of the door-to-door waste collection system and cause visual pollution and foul odour. Although it is not the fault of the residents alone, the municipal corporation has also failed to keep up with timely garbage collection, which encouraged this unsanitary practice in the first place. It takes time to clean up, and hence a positive idea turns into a tormenting morning jingle.
However, this is not true for all regions in the twin capital. In many colonies in Naharlagun, people wake up to the swachhta song, dump their garbage as the truck reaches their stations, and within five minutes there’s morning peace, calmness and a sense of civic responsibility fulfilled. Seeking the jingles to become culturally meaningful and soothing may dilute the clarity of the sanitation message. If the songs feel torturous, imagine the plight of the safai karmcharis who continue broadcasting the same song throughout their working hours to nudge public awareness.
Additionally, mere musical appeal cannot replace regular civic education or enforcement mechanisms.
Therefore, a commitment from both municipal authorities and the citizens is the solution moving forward, making cleanliness not just a service but a shared urban value. The IMC must ensure regular door-to-door waste collection, timely clearance of designated spots, and revamp the app ‘IMC-101’. Residents must take ownership, treating waste as a civic responsibility rather than merely a government task.
A citizen for a cleaner tomorrow