Nagpur: In an unusual protest at the special general body meeting held at Suresh Bhat Auditorium on Tuesday, first-time Congress corporator from prabhag 11, Shailesh Pande, arrived dressed as a sanitary worker to highlight the acute shortage of sanitation staff and worsening rubbish conditions in his ward.Carrying a broom as part of his symbolic gesture, Pande attempted to enter the House but was stopped by civic officials and security personnel, who cited rules prohibiting such items inside the hall. Denied entry with the broom, he remained outside the auditorium in traditional sanitation worker attire and continued his protest throughout the duration of the meeting. From the beginning to the end of the session, he was seen sweeping outside the venue to prove his point.Pande said residents of his ward elected him with expectations of resolving basic civic issues such as sanitation, drinking water and sewerage. However, despite submitting repeated representations to mayor Neeta Thakre and commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, no concrete steps were taken, he alleged.He also claimed that there was no assurance from the administration regarding convening a special meeting to address the city’s sanitation crisis. “Until the administration, the mayor and the commissioner take sanitation seriously and initiate corrective measures, I will attend every meeting dressed as a sanitation worker,” Pande said.Highlighting the ground situation in prabhag 11 under Mangalwari zone, Pande said the ward has a population of nearly 75,000 and requires at least 300 sanitation workers. However, the zone office recently provided a list of only 100 workers. Of these, barely 60 were actually visible on the ground, he claimed. Many workers were either elderly or unwell, severely affecting cleaning operations.He further pointed out that several major drains, including stretches near the Pili river, remain unclean aggravating health and hygiene concerns in the area. An official from the NMC secretariat admitted that Pande was denied entry into the House for carrying a broom. “We allowed him to attend the special general body meeting without the broom, but he refused and insisted on bringing it inside,” the official clarified.Mayor Thakre assured that the issue raised by Pande would be resolved, as she already issued directives to the solid waste management department to look into the matter urgently. She also clarified that she would not tolerate or compromise on the city’s hygiene and sanitation.
