Mumbai, Sep 4 (PTI) Irked by the sight of stained walls and cobwebbed corners, the collector of Akola district in Maharashtra rolled up his sleeves and took it upon himself to carry out a `Swachhata' (cleanliness) campaign Tuesday.

Astik Kumar Pandey, the collector, paid a surprise visit to the Public Works Department (PWD) office in Akola, and found its walls spray-painted by spitting.

He had the staff brought a bucket of water and a piece of cloth.

A local TV channel aired footage of Pandey himself wiping off the stains of paan (betel leaf) juice on the walls.

Shamed, the staff assured him that they would clean up the walls.

The collector stopped wiping the walls clean only after getting the assurance, said a local official.

Pandey also inspected other departments. When he spotted cobwebs in one corner, he picked up a broom and removed them, said the official.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)