News, Hyderabad: A GHMC worker who swept the roads of Hyderabad and disposed garbage for 16 years without taking a single leave makes him a hero.

For 16 years, T Venkataiah has worked virtually every single day to keep the streets of Hyderabad clean. The 49-year-old sanitary worker will come in even on festivals and on his off day to ensure the area entrusted to him is clean.

Chosen from thousands of applications sent by municipal corporations across India, T. Venkataiah was felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently at the launch of Swachh Survekeshan in New Delhi as recognition for his hard work and was chosen as the best sanitary worker in the country.

Mr. Venkataiah, who has been working with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, says he cannot think of rewards or awards. He must do what he needs to do.

“I am very interested in my work. Earning a good name is important,” he said. “Whoever inspects the place should say the street sparkles like a mirror, no garbage, no overflowing bins. It should all be neat.”

He lives with his wife and two sons, who would often mock him for not taking an off.

“They would mock me saying do you get an award for which you never take an off and I would laugh it off,” he said.

The man, who hasn’t taken a weekly off in years, was also awarded cash rewards worth Rs 2 lakh by KT Rama Rao (Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban development, Telangana) and GHMC Mayor B. Rammohan and Commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy, as reported recently.

A local, Anantham, says Mr Venkataiah fully deserves the honour, “Even if a child tells him there is a dirty street, he will clean it up.”

Anjaneyulu, Mr Venkataiah’s supervisor at the civic body where is a contract worker, said they have to mark a weekly off in the register for all workers at least for legal reasons. “But he will come in and ensure the place looks good.”

Medical officer Dr. P Padma said achieving targets in a massive slum of Saibaba Nagar in Rajendra Nagar was not easy. Now it is a “100 percent garbage-free area”.

“It is very difficult to achieve that target and for that, he is the person behind it, he is our real hero.”

Meanwhile, she also said, Mr. Venkataiah doesn’t use alcohol or gutka or have any other addictive habits, ”which is quite unusual for sanitation workers”.

Watch: 49 Year’s old GHMC Sanitation worker T Venkataiah gets award

Very seldom we come across such people who wholeheartedly surrender their life to their work. And T Venkataiah is one of them who stands as an inspiration for cleanliness is next to Godliness.

We salute him for his outstanding contribution and sincerity !!