A newly installed phone charging station for tourists in Himachal Pradesh's Manali has sparked a debate on social media about public responsibility after it was reportedly turned into a dumping ground within hours of its installation.
Incident highlights lack of civic sense
Nikhil Saini, an X user, posted about the incident, calling out the lack of respect for public infrastructure. 'Himachal govt installs a charging point in Manali for tourists to charge phones and gadgets, and within hours people turn it into a dustbin,' he wrote. 'No Swachh Bharat or any scheme can fix this nation, only an iron fist policy can bring change.'
The post has resonated with many users online, drawing a range of responses. Some users blamed the lack of available dustbins, while others pointed to a deeper lack of civic sense.
Mixed reactions from social media users
One user commented, 'Even if there is no dustbin, people are supposed to take their belongings with them and dispose in a designated spot... roads full of dustbins is not a solution.. cleanliness of dirty mind is needed... Govt should identify such people and throw garbage in their homes.'
Another user offered a different perspective: 'This just shows a lack of available public dustbins, people not wanting to throw on the streets left it there, which also is not good but gives a clear message that if given a dustbin they would prefer to throw it there. We have so many people so we are bound to create heaps of trash. There should be enough dustbins with proper maintenance to solve this issue.'
A third user added, 'Whatever schemes governments introduced, it will not be successful without public support and if the public has no civic sense it's a total waste of public money.'
The incident has reignited discussions about the effectiveness of government schemes like Swachh Bharat and the need for stricter enforcement of public cleanliness norms.
