400 jawans drop guns, pick up brooms at KEM

After doctors, personnel from the CRPF Riot Control Battalion volunteer to clean up the hospital

Lata Mishra

     

Posted On Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 02:57:13 AM

They arrived by five busloads, armed to the teeth with their AK 47s and dressed in combat gear. Then they put on their gloves and masks, picked up shovels, dust pans and brooms and set about their task.  Patients, their kin and hospital staff watched as 400 men and women from the CRPF Riot Control Battalion, Taloja, took over KEM Hospital for five hours from 8 am, on Friday in an operation that was a far cry from the ones they have been trained for.  Taloja Battalion decided to help KEM doctors in their uphill task after reading media reports on their efforts to clean up the state-run hospital  satish malavade The jawans scrubbed, cleaned and swept their way through the premises, which sees more than 5,000 people walk in and out every day, leaving behind piles of garbage and spitting on every possible nook and cranny.  The jawans arrived at 8 am and cleaned the hospital premises for five hours At the end they had filled an entire truck with litter They even cleaned the hospital terrace which was full of garbage Used to looking for bombs and hidden danger, the army personnel used their skills to sniff out plastic bottles and discarded food packets on the terraces, under the  windows, behind the bushes and under the benches in the hospital. At the end of their clean-up operation, they had sanitised almost all the crucial buildings, drained out stagnant water, and filled up a truck with the litter.    Taken aback by the sight of the army personnel scanning the hospital on a war footing, some ventured to ask, “Is there a terror threat?” The jawans answered politely, “No, we are cleaning your mess.”  It was only recently, that KEM doctors had taken it upon themselves to clean up the hospital, hoping to instil some civic sense among the visitors. “But just after we finished one phase and repainted the stained walls, people started spitting and littering again,” rued Dr Sanjay Oak, Dean, KEM. The Taloja Battalion had been following the KEM story in the media, and decided to help the good doctors in their uphill task. “We did not invite them, they volunteered to help us,” clarified Dr Oak. Commander Prashant Jambolkar of the battalion said, “The city is in the grip of malaria, the doctors have been struggling to keep the hospital clean. We felt compelled to do something for the community.”  The jawans also expressed shock and dismay at the filthy condition of the spots which had recently been cleaned up. Dr Oak however is optimistic, “We have seen a change in the attitude of our staff, and we hope we are able to keep up the momentum.”  Suresh Sawan, a patient at the malaria ward, remarked, “It is a shame that our jawans have to step in to clean up the hospital. I hope this serves as a lesson for all of us.”