After poor show, blame game begins

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 23

While Panchkula has figured at the bottom in the tricity in the Swachh Survekshan 2018, people responsible for the city’s sanitary have entered into blame game over poor ranking.

While Mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia says the Haryana Government did not support them in the Swachh Survekshan and the ruling party’s MLA should answer reasons behind Panchkula’s 142nd rank, MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said the District Administration headed by the previous Deputy Commissioner in 2017 did not provide adequate cooperation.

Though Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal has thanked schools, hospitals, hotels, HUDA, park development committees, RWAs and officers of the Income Tax Department, along with MC officials and workers for putting efforts, Mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia said there was no support from the Haryana Government and result is in front of all of us.

The MLA should give answer to Panchkula residents, the Mayor said.

MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said he had joined as the Panchkula MC Commissioner in the last week of September last year and had barely three months for preparation as Swachh Survekshan teams had arrived in January this year. Panchkula has no solid waste management plant. Therefore they could not score even a single mark out of 1,000 for the same.

Where Panchkula MC lacks

Due to the non-availability of sufficient number of processing units, recycling centres and scientific sanitary landfills, the Panchkula MC was unable to get as excepted better rank this time.

MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said in the next cleanliness survey, they would target to completely get rid of their landfill and processing units issues.

“We need to change our prospective how waste is viewed. Waste can also be an asset. It’s time to focus on zero wastage, zero burning, zero land filling, zero pollution by adopting 3Rs principal (reduce reuse recycle) of managing waste in the city. We hope to see improvement in the Swachh Survekshan 2019 ranking,” said Panchkula MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal.

Several initiatives taken, but to no avail

• Declared city open defecation-free in eight days
• Name and shame drive for people going for open defecation and even took help of transgenders
• Notified petrol pump toilets as public toilets
• Formally integrated waste pickers with Municipal Corporation solid waste management systems
• Capacity building workshops/meetings with every stakeholder i.e. RWAs, PDS, industries, religious heads, schools, colleges, municipal staff, banks, hospitals, rag pickers, vendors, sanitary workers.
• Provided personal protective equipment to sanitary workers
• Conducted nukkad natak, rallies, play, events, radio campaign, etc.
• Installation of safe disposal system for sanitary pads
• Distribution of twin bin system (dry & wet) at every household
• GPS-enabled vehicles for transportation of waste
• Installation of underground dustbins