Tendulkar, son hit street on clean up mission

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, September 26

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar joined Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray and several other residents in cleaning up a street at his neighbourhood in suburban Bandra early Tuesday morning as part of the central government's 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign.

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Accompanied by his son Arjun, Tendulkar joined Thackeray and others at the Bandra fort area at around 5 am where they along with the conservancy workers of the Mumbai municipal corporation cleared garbage. Togged in gloves, boots and a face mask, Tendulkar told reporters that citizens dumped garbage on the streets even when there were dustbins around.

“People don't throw garbage inside their homes but outside. They always say the ‘kachrawala’ will come and clean up. They should not be called ‘kachrawala’ but ‘safaiwala’. Cleanliness is not the duty of only the ‘safaiwala’ but also our responsibility as well,” Tendulkar, who is a
member of the Rajya Sabha, said.

“It was an honour to do my bit for our country, standing along you @sachin_rt ji. Count me in for each time. Agreed, Swasth Bharat!,” Aaditya Thackeray tweeted after the event.

Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his thanks to the young Thackeray. "I congratulate my young friend @AUThackeray for participating in a cleanliness initiative in Mumbai & adding momentum to #SwachhataHiSeva," Modi said.

The Maharashtra government has so far managed to rope in several celebrities like Anushka Sharma, Akshay Kumar and Nita Ambani to participate in the clean up exercise.