Workers helpfully scattered litter around so that politician could could have photo-op picking it up

Sanitation workers in India became litterbugs on Thursday when they threw plastic bottles and crumpled pieces of paper outside the Red Fort in Delhi so a Union Minister could get his photo-op while sweeping it up.



The staged littering and cleanliness drive was organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Even as Minister of State (independent charge) for Culture and Tourism Shripad Naik was speaking at the event, safai karamcharis started littering the premises by throwing used mineral water bottles and waste paper on the road, which had earlier been swept clean.

As Mr. Naik wrapped up his speech, the cleaning staff were ordered to add more garbage as it didn’t look dirty enough. All the while officials associated with the event oversaw the organised littering. After he had finished, Mr Naik was promptly handed a broom, which he wielded with aplomb to bring about a sweeping change in the area. A casual employee of the ASI said the staff usually cleans the busy tourist spot three times a day.



“Today, we cleaned the area at 1pm and were asked to keep the bottles and paper for the Minister’s visit at 4pm,” said the sanitation worker who couldn’t help but smile at the irony. The stage-managed littering seemed to work out with the Minister being mobbed by camerapersons and ordinary visitors, who were curious to see what the man dressed in a sparkling white kurta was up to. Culture and Tourism Ministry and ASI officials were unavailable for comment.