Segregate waste, ensure proper disposal

Ban single-use plastic

Burning of waste and garbage by Municipal Corporation staff, residents, footpath vendors and others significantly contributes to air pollution. The smoke and toxic fumes not only degrade air quality, but also cause severe health impact. The toxic air affects our breathing process, leading to issues like asthma, bronchitis, heart disease and other lung-related problems. Prolonged exposure to the polluted air weakens the immune system, making the body vulnerable to infections and chronic illnesses. That’s why it’s crucial to strictly ban single-use plastic and promote recycling and composting to ensure clean air.

Pankaj Kumar Seth

Improve waste management

Amritsar, the historic ‘Sifti da Ghar’, has been facing growing challenges due to rising crime and poor sanitation. To restore its beauty and peace, collective efforts are necessary. Firstly, strengthening law enforcement is crucial. Deploying more police officers in high-crime areas, providing them with regular training and encouraging community policing will help reduce crime. Citizens should also be encouraged to report crimes without fear, fostering a sense of safety. Secondly, improving waste management is equally vital. The civic authorities must ensure timely garbage disposal and implement effective bioremediation techniques. Citizens can contribute by keeping surroundings clean and participating in cleanliness drives. Using media platforms to raise awareness about crime prevention and cleanliness will improve the city’s image.

Vaani Mehra

Modernise waste disposal site

The issue of waste management in Amritsar, a city of significant cultural and religious importance, requires a multifaceted approach involving both the civic administration and its citizens. Here are few administrative measures to help keep Amritsar clean. Implement a robust door-to-door waste collection system, particularly in the densely populated areas. Provide adequate bins and infrastructure for wet and dry waste collection. Modernise the Bhagtanwala waste disposal site with advanced waste-to-energy or composting facilities. Ensure proper functioning and maintenance of public toilets. Address the issue of choked sewers lines to prevent overflow. Enforce penalties for littering and illegal dumping. To improve efficiency, utilise technology such as GPS to track waste collection vehicles. Launch campaigns to educate citizens about the importance of waste segregation and proper disposal. Promote community involvement in cleanliness drives and initiatives and utilise various media platforms to raise awareness about the impact of littering on the city’s environment and tourism. Place adequate waste bins at tourist hotspots.

Seenu Arora

Unified efforts needed

To make Amritsar clean and garbage free, the government, civic authorities and citizens must work together. The government should implement and enforce waste segregation policies in Amritsar and run public awareness campaigns and promote recycling. They can also organise community clean-up programmes and incentivise waste reduction efforts. Civic authorities must ensure efficient waste collection, provide recycling bins in public spaces and support local composting initiatives. Citizens of Amritsar should practice waste segregation at home, cut down on single-use plastic and participate in community clean-ups. Composting organic waste and disposing e-waste responsibly can further reduce landfill pressure. Additionally, educational programmes in schools can foster a culture of cleanliness. By adopting these actions, Amritsar can reduce waste and create a cleaner and sustainable environment.

Manav Deep Singh

Penalise those who litter

Awareness should be spread among citizens on the need to keeping the city clean. Huge fines and penalties needs to be levied on defaulters. For the past many years the issue of proper garbage disposal has been raised in all local dailies, but the news reports have had no effect on politicians and civic authorities. MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh has also raised his voice in this regard many times but till date no concrete action has been taken. As the responsibility and blame fall equally on civic authorities, the need of the hour is to hire efficient private company for garbage disposal at the earliest.

Sanjay Chawla

Ensure proper waste segregation

The authorities should focus on completing all projects on time and without creating a mess for general public. Waste management and segregation projects and under-construction flyovers are the main projects underway. People should follow rules and do not litter in the open. Waste should be segregated at source so that it could be managed easily. Water wastage should also be checked.

Divya Karan Arora

Ensure community participation

Strengthening waste management system in Amritsar requires efficient garbage collection by increasing the number of bins in public places and ensuring timely collection. Besides, the door-to-door waste collection system should be strictly implemented. Enforcing segregation of wet and dry waste at household level is crucial. Establishing waste-to-energy plants, composting units and recycling centres can help reduce landfill waste, besides generating useful byproducts. Community involvement plays a vital role in keeping the city clean. Regular cleanliness drives, workshops and awareness campaigns in schools, colleges and residential areas, along with active participation by Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and local committees, will help improve sanitation conditions. Religious institutions like gurdwaras and temples can also promote hygiene and discourage littering. Strict law enforcement is necessary, including imposing fine for littering, open defecation and illegal dumping. CCTV cameras should be installed in key areas to monitor violations. Sustainable solutions such as home and community composting, bioremediation of contaminated sites using eco-friendly methods and strict implementation of ban on single-use plastic can add to cleanliness efforts. Improving drainage and sanitation by ensuring regular desilting of drains before monsoon and increasing the number of well-maintained public toilets are also essential. Encouraging citizen engagement through formation of local volunteer groups to monitor and maintain cleanliness in neighbourhoods can also make a significant difference. A clean Amritsar requires commitment from both authorities and citizens, and consistent efforts, awareness and accountability will help transform the city into a model of cleanliness and sustainability.

SSB Singh

Use uniform bags for waste disposal

Using uniform garbage bags, such as 30 litre capacity, for waste disposal will make waste handling more efficient. Street vendors must also use garbage bags and be responsible for disposing them properly at the end of their shifts. Establishing paid dumping sites can improve waste management system. Waste incineration plants are essential for burning waste and generating energy. Most importantly, effective administration is crucial for implementing these ideas. While such initiatives may have been proposed by the District Head (DC) or other administrators, the real concern lies in their execution, which remains doubtful.

Deep Aatwal

Conduct awareness campaigns

Installing bins and conducting awareness campaigns for street vendors are essential to improving cleanliness. Assigning a dedicated person at each location to oversee the cleaning staff and identify the most affected areas will help streamline efforts. Understanding whether vendors require financial assistance for maintaining cleanliness and gathering input from locals can provide insights into the root causes of unhygienic conditions. Since addressing the entire issue at once may not be feasible, a phased approach by prioritising affected areas can make the process more efficient. Seeking support from volunteers can further strengthen these efforts. However, it is important to handle these initiatives carefully, as cleanliness-related discussions can sometimes lead to conflicts. Ensuring that authorities and people engage respectfully will help maintain a cooperative and effective approach.

Priya Sharma

Ensure timely garbage disposal

All rehriwalas, fruit sellers and street vendors litter on roads. Even the MC staff sweep garbage to one corner. The waste is spread by wind. The garbage is not collected immediately as sweepers don’t have anything to collect and dispose of the garbage. Timely garbage lifting must be ensured and its disposal is equally important. But unfortunately, Amritsar is lacking in it.

Rajeev Joshi

City should adopt Indore model

We can adopt the Indore model where both public and authorities work in perfect coordination to keep the city clean. Indore has been awarded number one in terms of cleanliness in the last some years. Neither the public nor authorities can achieve the objective without the support from each other. The cleanest wards should be rewarded. Also there should be a toll free helpline to lodge a complaint. The city should adopt the Indore model.

Naveen Mahajan

Lack to civic sense to blame

The lack of civic sense is the root cause behind garbage menace. Disposal of garbage can be done twice a day. Strict action is the need of the hour. Sweepers reportedly burn garbage after collecting it. Drones can be helpful in keeping a check, but authorities will have to take action. Violators should be penalised heavily. Maintenance fee should be charged for holding political rallies, langars or other social functions.

Kamal Preet

Ensure robust waste collection

Cut down on garbage production, ensure robust collection and recycle mountains of waste. We are failing on all three grounds. All political parties, be it SAD, Congress, BJP and AAP have failed utterly on the garbage dump issue. Passing the buck seems to be the order of the day. Let civil society be a part of recycling endeavour in order to monitor government departments on this.

Arun Mittal

Officials should discharge duties honestly

The Municipal Corporation is led by the Mayor, while the administrative responsibilities are with the Municipal Commissioner. This institution plays a crucial role in the development of the city and the proper management of civic amenities. Until they become fully aware of their duties and perform these with impartiality and honesty, the efforts made by the citizens will not yield long-lasting results.

Vikas Kumar Mehra

Need to overhaul system

The government works for the interests of their political godfathers. Everything will fall in place if elected representatives start working for the welfare of citizens. There is need to overhaul corrupt system.

Atul Sharma