New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday paid a surprise visit to the Mandir Marg police station in central Delhi to check how clean it was – and wielded a broom on finding its environs dirty.
On his way to the Valmiki Colony to launch the Clean India campaign, Modi suddenly stopped his car and walked into the police station, a police officer who witnessed it all told IANS.
“I was standing outside Mandir Marg police station for the arrangement of PM’s route. I was surprised when PM’s cavalcade stopped outside the police station. After seeing the prime minister entering inside the boundary of the police station I rushed. There were only 10-15 police personnel inside as other staff was deputed on PM’s route,” Station House Officer Satish Malik told IANS.
“Walking around 10 metres inside the complex, the prime minister took a broom from someone and started cleaning a corner where some leaves were lying after falling from a tree. In the meantime, I along with other policemen reached there. The prime minister suggested I and my staff clean the environment and left the police station,” he said.
Another police officer present told IANS: “The prime minister asked us to maintain a clean environment in addition to carrying out our duties. He told us that if we do not keep our environs clean, how will the Clean India message spread?”
The officer added that Modi spoke to them about sanitation and hygiene.
Modi, who reached the police station around 8 a.m., spent close to 20 minutes there checking the sanitation and other facilities.
After Modi left, all the police officers at the station got involved in cleaning the premises, the officer said.
The inspection was not planned and took the officials accompanying Modi also by surprise.
Modi launched the nationwide Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Mission Thursday on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.