Jaipur is pink city, so whatIJ Here in Bihar a town has painted itself with the colour green to become a Green City, in the literal sense of the term. The colour green was chosen to showcase the town’s verdant surroundings.
It’s the initiative taken by the Kaimur district magistrate to paint the Bhabua town with green colour. And, the citizens of the town responded positively while painting their dwellings with the colour . The Government buildings in the town promptly got a fresh coat of the colour green while requests were sent to other departments for the same. “We took this decision with the citizens of the town and other officials who supported the idea with all their positive energy and the result is before everyone to see”, said the Kaimur district magistrate, Arvind Kumar Singh.
The dilapidated parks and vacant spaces in the town which were littered with dirt and filth earlier too have worn a fresh coat of the colour green and dotted with new plants and trees. But, why the colour greenIJ “In fact we mulled on several other colours at the meeting but the local people chose the colour green as the town is being surrounded by thick jungles”, said the district magistrate.
He also said that since the colour green has a soothing effect and also gives the message of peace and brotherhood we finally decided to go ahead with the colour green to paint the town with. “It has also provided an occasion for the local people to build a sense of togetherness and brotherhood among themselves.
“It reminded them that they too can do something positive and visible on their own”, said Arvind Kumar Singh.
To celebrate the occasion the district administration had also organized a function in which school children wearing green caps and were invited to send the message. All the present officials and local people too were wearing green caps to present the idea of colour green that town has been painted with.
Earlier in the year 2006 the adjoining district of Aurangabad too was painted with colour pink “to uplift the sagging morale and spirit of the Maoists infested area”. At that time the district authorities, using a 1992 municipal law, even had put pressure on local people to paint their building with colour Pink. “Pink Aurangabad, clean Aurangabad, green Aurangabad and disciplined Aurangabad” were written in pink colour leaflets distributed in the town.
However, after sometime the local people chose to ignore the commitment and Aurangabad from Pink City of Bihar once again became the most naxal hit district of the state. “Now, it will be seen whether this green city campaign by the district magistrate will remain or simply vanish with his transfer like Aurangabad”, said Manoranjan Singh of the Bhabua town.
Instead of painting the buildings and structures green the local administration should have to educate the citizens about how to keep their town clean and green, he said further. “The awareness and education lasts forever, not this kind of populist endeavors”, he rued.