THE municipal affairs department acted swiftly and effectively yesterday to clean up the mess at the Souq Najada after Gulf Times brought to light the sorry state of affairs there a day earlier. As soon as the newspaper reached the tables of officials yesterday morning, things started moving. The concerned department managed to put together nearly 50 janitors from other places and transported them to the souq, along with the necessary paraphernalia like brushes, brooms, chemicals and cleaning liquids. According to eye witnesses, they made a “very good fire-fighting effort” but a lot still needs to be done. Rubbish from all public places like corridors and concourses was collected and put in bags, before being transported. However, the pan stains refused to disappear despite some heavy scrubbing. An attempt has been made to clear the toilets too, one shop-keeper said, adding that they needed some repair. Elaborating, he pointed out that leaking pipes had to be repaired and broken closets replaced. Municipal workers toiled the entire morning. By afternoon, the work was handed over to a private cleaning company, indicating that the job would continue in the coming days too, sources said. Some 50% of the work was done, an eye witness said, conceding that the chore wasn’t easy because of the stubborn nature of stains and the grit and grime accumulated over the weeks. When Gulf Times visited the souq on Saturday, the team was greeted by stinking toilets, and rubbish strewn everywhere. Shop-keepers had complained of non-existent cleaning and had resorted to emergency sweeping because of intolerable unhygienic conditions. The stench from the toilets was so overwhelming on Saturday that one was compelled to flee. Use of pan is banned in the country but it hasn’t stopped the public from chewing the stuff and spitting it wherever they liked, thus soiling the walls and pillars. Yesterday, the souq presented a different picture with all the accumulated tissue, cigarette packets, other waste paper, empty cartons, used bottles and other rubbish removed from all public places. Still, it is far from being a totally neat and tidy place. Shop-keepers yesterday hoped that the authorities enthusiasm would sustain and that they would continue their cleaning efforts. http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=266028&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

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