26/05/2026
Every time I travel to our mountain towns or the North East, I notice something striking.
The streets are cleaner. Public spaces are respected. People don’t casually throw trash from moving cars or trains. There’s a visible sense that the city belongs to everyone.
And then you return to many of our large cities...overflowing garbage, plastic-clogged drains, walls stained with spit, construction dust everywhere.
This is, at its core, a civic mindset issue.
Yes, municipalities must do far better. They have the budgets, systems, and responsibility. Garbage should be cleared on time. Roads and drains must be maintained properly. Accountability is not optional.
But citizens cannot behave irresponsibly and still expect world-class cities. Civic sense matters. And Road discipline? A conversation for another day.
A clean city is not created by one government campaign.
It is created when people collectively decide that public spaces deserve the same respect as their homes.
We have spectacular monuments and breathtaking destinations that attract tourists. Yet many of the roads leading to them are littered with waste. What is our market share of international tourists? So much more is possible. Is it a problem living in clean surroundings?
Real change begins when responsibility is shared by governments, municipalities, and citizens alike.
What are you doing to keep your city clean?