India's Cleanest City, Indore Distributes Spit Cups Under 'No Thu Thu' Drive To Curb Gutka Stains
On Friday, the civic body of Indore, recognised as the cleanest city six times in a row, started distributing spit cups among betel and other shop owners to check gutka stains.?The move was undertaken as part of the 'no thu thu' (no spitting) campaign to boost the positive image of the city further.?
Mayor distributes cups for free
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava distributed these cup-shaped spittoons to pan shops and passersby at Bengali Chowk and sought their cooperation to stop the menace of public places being stained with pan, tobacco and gutka spit.?
He told PTI these spittoons (cups) were being distributed free of cost.?
Dr Atul Kala, an oral surgeon and co-founder of local start-up Ek Pehal, told the news agency that the spittoon has been manufactured with unique metal to turn liquid spit into hard waste.?
Campaign conducted for past some months
As per a Free Press Journal report, the dispersal of spit cups under the 'No Thoo-Thoo campaign', a cleanliness drive by IMC, has been conducted at Bengali Square for the past few months.?
Bhargava also chatted with the owners of betel shops, grocery shops, and other shopkeepers operating at Bengali Square, asking them to ask people addicted to gutka to use spit cups.?
Additionally, the regional public representatives ran the spit cups distribution and awareness campaign at Bada Ganpati Square, Vijay Nagar Square, Malwa Mill Square, Railway Station Gate No 01 and other places.?
'Indoreans adopt good habits very quickly'??
Bhargava further said they aim to clinch the cleanest city tag for the seventh time in a row.?
He added that 'Indoreans adopt good habits very quickly'. The local leader said that he is sure the city residents will carry the spit cups while driving, thereby freeing the city of gutka stains.?
Gutka menace across India
In contrast to Indore, the majority of India is severely affected by the perils of the spitting of gutka as people discharge the remains all across the public properties, including road dividers, pavements, official buildings, monuments and public transport.?
The severity of the issue can be understood by an estimate from 2021, which revealed that Indian Railways spends around Rs 1,200 crore and a lot of water annually to clean the stains and marks caused by spitting on its premises, especially by pan and tobacco users.?
?Moreover, in 2022, Awanish Sharan, an IAS officer, tweeted a picture of the Howrah bridge in Kolkata, voicing his concern that the iconic bridge might be damaged due to saliva laced with gutka spat on it.?
"Kolkata Port Trust has said saliva laced with gutka is corroding the iconic 70-year-old bridge. The Howrah Bridge is under attack from gutka-chewers,' he had tweeted.
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