Phone charging station in Manali turned into dustbin, netizens slam lack of civic sense

The video shows a charging station reportedly installed by the Himachal Pradesh government in Manali for tourists to charge phones and other gadgets.

A video circulating on social media has sparked outrage after allegedly showing a public phone charging station in Manali being turned into a dustbin, with many users slamming the lack of civic sense.

The video, shared on X by user Nikhil Saini, shows a charging station reportedly installed by the Himachal Pradesh government in Manali for tourists to charge phones and other gadgets. However, the facility is seen littered with used water bottles, paper plates, tissue papers and disposable cups.

Sharing the clip, Saini wrote, “Himachal govt installs a charging point in Manali for tourists to charge phones and gadgets, and within hours people turn it into a dustbin. No Swachh Bharat or any scheme can fix this nation, only an iron fist policy can bring change.”

The video triggered a debate online, with several users questioning whether adequate dustbins had been installed nearby.

One user commented, “Its definately wrong. Curious if there were enough empty dustbins around? Despite availability of empty dustbins, if trash is left ‘any available’ place it's serious lack of civic sense! If trash is left for convenience due to overflowing dustbins or lack of it, admin must add dustbins so that trash can be disposed properly.”

Responding to the query, Saini said, “It’s the famous Mall Road, there are dustbins right nearby, and overall it’s a clean, well maintained area.”

Several others echoed similar concerns about the availability of dustbins in the area.

Another user wrote, “More than tourists i think ye stalls lagane walo ki kutayi honi chahiye. Ek to ye log dustbins nahi rakhte.. Aur khaas kar ye road sides m laga ke baithe hote hai.. vahi pe apna kuda faink dete hai.. aur maximum sab ke sab bahar ke hote hai..” (More than tourists, I think people who set up stalls on the roadside should be held accountable. They throw the waste there only, and most of them are outsiders.)

Another comment read, “Indias can only change with belt treatment. सबका साथ, सबका विकास will not work here. In China, civic authority faced a similar challenge before the Olympics. After repeat failures, an Army of White Bushirts was formed. Their job was to severely beatup people who were trashing.”

One user suggested, “I share your pain on seeing such things! Municipalities should install QR codes at public places at regular intervals to report such acts immediately to municipal authorities with option to upload photos and videos of wrongdoers.”

Another wrote, “Clean India is possible only when these garbage like people are thrown into the dustbin. The population, that too the educated and illiterate people, is the problem of this country.”

A further comment stated, “This is where civic sense is absolutely needed. It is not someone else's responsibility to keep your surroundings clean. This needs to be lodged into the coming generations' brains at home, school, etc.”