Patna: From the Capital of one of the Greatest Empires to the Dirtiest City

Patna that once was the center of one of the greatest empires in history has now fallen down to being the dirtiest city in India. Bihar occupies the top spot for the dirtiest city with a population of more than 10 lakh (Patna) and the dirtiest city with a population between 1 lakh and 10 lakhs (Gaya). From bad air quality index to flooding to now being given the dirtiest city tag, Patna constantly lingers in a pathetic state but still, no change is made. What could be the reason?

Lowest Literacy Rate

Bihar’s literacy rate stands the lowest in India at 63.82%. There is no concept of social cleanliness in the state. People clean their houses and throw the garbage outside without any guilt or remorse. There is an inherent hatred for the trees in the city. A sight of a tree is seen as a waste of space. If you go on one of the flyovers in Patna and look around you could see a scene straight from an apocalyptic movie. There are dirty buildings spanning miles across both sides devoid of any greenness. Most of Patna earns its money from renting rooms to a large population coming from other districts in Bihar and Jharkhand. Structurally weak buildings are made in cramped spaces maximizing space in order to collect as much rent as possible. Every tree in sight is cut to make space for rooms and that’s how Patna became the dirtiest city in India.

Bad Governance

Not everything is the government’s job, cleanliness is a personal task, something everyone should contribute in order to make a city clean. However, any other government would have taken upon themselves to clean the city from consistently ranking worst for air quality index as well as cleanliness. Though the Bihar government clearly knows that this isn’t something people care about. Sushant Singh Rajput’s case is where most of the interest lies and so the Nitish Kumar government is actively trying to politicise the issue in their favour. In a state where the election is still fought on caste basis, the death of a Bollywood actor hailing from Rajput caste is certainly mouthwatering for the politicians.

Everyone knows this and is actively trying to cash in the issue. The bigger issues such as cleanliness, jobs, crime, continue to take a back seat. What used to be one of the greatest cities in the world has now been turned into this poor imitation of the past while it’s citizen’s continue to live a mediocre life and it’s politicians continue to steal from anywhere possible.

Is there any solution in sight?

No change could be made if people do not remove the garbage before their eyes and see politicians for what they actually are. Profiting off of communal lines, these politicians do not care about anyone but them. Sushant Singh Rajput is just a tool for Nitish Kumar to win this election. If he really cared for the people of Bihar, he would be doing something for the 90 lakhs people currently displaced due to floods, lakhs of other people who have been affected due to coronavirus and thousands of people who fell prey to the increasing crime rate in the state.