The much-anticipated launch of the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan from Valmiki Colony in Central Delhi on October 2 has led to the residents of the colony being subjected to a police verification. The colony, housing mostly safai karamcharis of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), has been the centre of hectic cleaning activity for approximately two weeks. With the date of the launch inching closer, the security in the area has been stepped up, barricades put up and buildings spruced up. Raj Kumar, a resident of the colony, said police had started a verification of all residents, “mainly those living in houses facing the park which Modi is expected to visit on October 2. The park is already out of bounds for all. A resident said police have been verifying the ID of the head of the family and taking a count of the family members in each house. Delhi Police sources confirmed that a verification drive was on in the colony due to security reasons. On Tuesday, sniffer dogs did the rounds of the locality while several batches of police personnel were briefed at different points. Sources said on October 2, Modi is scheduled to arrive at the colony at 8.30 am and visit the quarters in Valmiki Sadan where Mahatma Gandhi had stayed. After this, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is expected to be launched from here. The residents of the area, who take pride in belonging to a place preferred by the ‘Father of the Nation’, says it is fitting that a sanitation programme of such magnitude is flagged off from here on Gandhiji’s birth anniversary. Just outside the colony, the entire route that the Prime Minister’s cavalcade will take is being given a fresh look. The roads and streetlights have been scrubbed and pavements repainted. A modern toilet block, which the PM will inaugurate, is being given the final touches. Another resident Ranjit Singh said besides police, local MP Meenakshi Lekhi also visited colony a few times to check the arrangements. Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu has also visited the area. “They had first decided to block off the view of the colony from the park by covering the park grilles with cloth. Then they suggested that for the sake of the children, the park should be left visible,” Singh said. The buzz and a sense of hyper-activity is drawing residents to the windows and balconies to witness the arrangements. However, Modi is not the first Prime Minister to visit the neighbourhood. Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee too have visited the colony.
