Olympic gold' for Phogat puts SDMC in a spot
Asked about when Geeta won the Olympic gold medal, the SDMC official failed to give a suitable reply.
New Delhi: In a major embarrassment, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Thursday wrongly termed one of its ‘Swachhta brand ambassadors,’ international wrestler Geeta Phogat, as an Olympic gold medallist. The SDMC signed an agreement by appointing Phogat sisters, Geeta and Babita, as its ‘Swachchta brand ambassadors.’ But banners put inside the venue at Civic Centre mentioned Geeta as an Olympic gold medallist while Babita as simply gold medallist.
After it was bought to the notice of the senior officials, the SDMC covered the word ‘Olympic’ by putting a white paper on all the banners.
Asked about when Geeta won the Olympic gold medal, the SDMC official failed to give a suitable reply. In a face saving exercise, an official said that she will be winning the Olympic gold for the country in 2020.
As guests started talking about the blunder, the SDMC official swung into action and covered the word ‘Olympic’ with a white piece of paper. “Those who approved the content of the banner were supposed to cross check that everything written on it was correct, but they failed to do the same, resulting in an embarrassment for the corporation,” said an official.
The SDMC has inked an agreement with the Phogat sisters to make them their ‘Swachhta brand ambassadors.’ The SDMC commissioner, Puneet Kumar Goel, said that Geeta and Babita Phogat are popular across the country and this will benefit the SDMC. The sisters will not only highlight the civic body’s achievements, but also create awareness on cleanliness.
Babita Phogat said that it is essential to make oneself clean before making the country ‘swachh’ (clean). While stressing the need for eliminating defecation in the open, Babita stated that construction of toilets is of prime importance. “We have to make our city clean by making it garbage free,” added Babita.
The SDMC will use photographs of the brand ambassadors for its print and outdoor campaign, their voice in the audio clips to be aired on FM radios, their visual spots on TV or live screens, and photographs and quotes to highlight various aspects of its achievements and progress in the field of Swachh Bharat Mission and solid waste management.