New Delhi: Danish Ambassador to India Freddy Svane took to social media site X Wednesday to express his concerns over a garbage-strewn service lane between the Danish and Greek embassies in New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave — Chanakyapuri. Soon afterwards, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) cleaned up the area.
“Lovely and green New Delhi. Many words but no action. Saddened by this,” Svane wrote in his X post Wednesday. In a video with the post, he said, “Welcome to great, green, and trashy New Delhi,” while pointing at the service lane filled with trash and lamenting its condition.
“I hope somebody will listen to this and take action. No more nice words, just action,” Svane further said in the video, ending with hands folded in a ‘namaste‘ gesture, appealing to the authorities. He also tagged the handles of Delhi Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister’s Office.
The NDMC did not delay in taking up the Ambassador’s appeal, which gained traction on social media, and cleaned up the lane Wednesday only.
“I am very proud and so pleased that the NDMC took action within minutes,” Svane told the media after the cleaning operation.
By then, various X users had liked, commented and reshared Svane’s post. One of them thanked the Danish ambassador for “sharing the truth”. Another commented, “As a nation, we are ashamed.”
Freddy Svane is currently serving his second tenure as ambassador to India. Apart from India, he represents Denmark in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal.
Svane shows his flair in other videos he makes for the Danish embassy, many of which highlight his commitment to sustainability initiatives. “I love Indian culture,” he says in one such video.
This is not the first time that a foreign representative has raised an issue caused by the lackadaisical approach of local authorities. Last year, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India Simon Wong flagged a spelling error in the signboard of the Embassy of Singapore on X, and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) later resolved the issue.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Here in Gurugram the millenium city too we need some such foreign diplomat to post our concerns regarding worst AQI, garbage, construction waste spread all over the city, huge dust in air 24×7, broken roads, encroached footpaths etc. As it is, nobody…not even CM, PMO listens to our repeated complaints. The Print may also oblige by doing some study on this and highlight our woes. Thanks