Open house: What led to a fall in swachh rankings of city beautiful

To improve our ranking, the Administration and citizens both have to come forward and make Chandigarh a garbage-free city, which is a major and important parameter for awarding rankings. The Municipal Corporation has to start extending welfare benefits to their sanitation workers and then only will they work with passion. Most importantly, welfare schemes remain buried in the files of the higher officials. The main problem is Chandigarh is governed by officers of both Haryana and Punjab which leads to a lack of coordination in the implementation of welfare schemes. Citizens, too, have to play an important role in keeping Chandigarh garbage-free, thus maintaining its status of City Beautiful.

Vineet Gandhi, Chandigarh

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QUESTION

Do you think Chandigarh lacks decent facilities for persons with mental disabilities and should the UT Administration rope in NGOs for establishing more such facilities in the city?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to

[email protected]

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Improve garbage management

It makes a sad reading that our City Beautiful’s ranking has been lowered in the cleanliness category. The only consolation is that it has topped the list among all UTs. It is prayed and suggested that the city should concentrate more on the door-to-door collection of waste as well as the disposal of garbage. The city has been able to dispose of very less quantity of garbage.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

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Lackadaisical supervision

Chandigarh was better maintained when there was no corporation. Now, routine works of green belts, pathways, roads, sweeping, etc, are not carried out properly. There four main reasons behind this sorry state of affairs. Firstly, officers do not supervise work on the ground. Secondly, periodic maintenance has stopped and the MC only responds to complaints. Thirdly, private companies carrying out various works do not remove debris for days. Lastly, the debris generated during maintenance by MC agencies such as horticulture or road wings is left behind in heaps for weeks to be lifted by others. These issues keep Chandigarh perpetually dirty and poorly maintained. It’s high time we saw our SDOs, JEs and supervisors get actively involved and made accountable.

Col PS Gill (retd), Chandigarh

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Poor garbage collection to blame

Chandigarh has always represented greenery and good maintenance, giving it the name of City Beautiful. Poor garbage collection and negligent maintenance of the city has led to a fall in its ranking. A good garbage-collection system, designated dumping sites for green waste and a good grievance-redressal system is needed.

Sapna Sharda, Chandigarh

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Dissolve MC once for all

The fall in the ranking is just due to a shortage of funds. Chandigarh developed in good pace when it was under the Administration. Development has suffered since the MC came into being. It is a white elephant for the city. Dissolve the MC once for all to ensure good development. Funds when diverted to the Administration will boost development in all fields and it will also check corruption. The only remedy for Chandigarh as the best city of India is to get rid of the MC.

Arun Jain, Mani Majra

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Serious, collective efforts needed

There is a famous quote — “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” But it is sad that the city has shown a downward trend as far as the cleanliness rankings of cities with above 10 lakh population is concerned. The onus for this poor show lies primarily on the Municipal Corporation, but morally residents as well as industrialists are equally responsible for this mess. The staff of the MC were busy making Covid-related arrangements due to which they were not able to do their duty regarding cleanliness properly. Therefore, there is a dip in the cleanliness ranking. There a need for serious and collective efforts to improve the situation.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Chandigarh

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Sincerity is the key

Sorry to say that Chandigarh is a famous city in the world for its beauty, but its Swachh Survekshan 2021 ranking has dropped due to carelessness on the part of the authorities. They can improve its rank by giving special attention to various aspects. A special team of security guards should be made to keep a watch on people. They should challan those found littering. Heaps of garbage should be removed from public places. Open spaces and parks should be maintained well. All dustbins should be cleaned daily without fail. Area near the Central Library in Sector 17 should be cleaned. More dustbins should be put up near fruit and vegetable shops, sweets shops, dhabas and bakeries. All debris or raw material should be immediately removed after completion of construction works. Staff should show utmost sincerity while carrying out cleanliness works.

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

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Penalise people who litter

The City Beautiful cannot achieve the second rank like in 2016 until all residents, RWAs and the Administration work together. Making residents aware is important. Poor garbage segregation at source, the dump at Dadu Majra and the non-implementation of the solid waste management plan are the main reasons behind the falling Swachh Survekshan ranking. The MC must try to work rigorously on this front. The civic body authorities must focus on cleanliness instead of imposing new taxes. The corporation should keep an eye on tourist spots to prevent littering. Penalising people who do not throw garbage in dustbins.

Vijay Malia, Chandigarh

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Fix accountability of officials

Non-accountability of officials of all ranks is a major cause of weak cleanliness drive which resulted in a drastic fall in the city’s ranking. The political interference is also adding to the problem. The performance of all officials should be assessed on a monthly basis. This will have a cascading effect in improving the working of the MC and ensure a judicious use of taxpayers’ money. Under/non-performers be removed from service.

KC Rana, Chandigarh

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Go for night cleaning

Fall in the ranking is due to laxity on the part of the MC. Heaps of garbage are lying here and there. The MC has failed to remove garbage from every nook and corner of the city. Residents, too, lack civic sense and are responsible for poor hygiene and sanitation in the city. The MC should make compost from dry leaves, clean roads during the night and get strict with those found littering public places.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

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Segregation remains a big challenge

A dysfunctional waste-processing plant and poor garbage segregation at source led to a fall in the Swachh Survekshan 2021 ranking of the city. The city stands at 66th position. The MC has neither improved the waste-processing plants nor upgraded the technology. There should be emphasis on devising a plan for integrated solid waste management, educating citizens on cleanliness, collection and transportation of waste, processing and disposal of waste, etc.

Anita K Tandon, Kharar

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Manage waste well

Not only Chandigarh but cities like Shimla have also slipped down in the Swachh Survekshan ranking, showing that there is a lot of negligence and complacency. There has to be community participation and more efforts to create awareness. Charity begins at home. Each and every individual needs to participate and contribute towards the cleanliness of his surroundings. The Administration and residents need to work in unison to bring good results. First and foremost is to manage the waste well, at the individual level or at the state level.

Anju Mohan, Panchkula

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Streamline waste collection

The ranking of Chandigarh has dipped drastically for obvious reasons — Garbage heaps in lanes and at the gates of houses, dog poop and trash in parks, puddles of stagnant water on roads near carwash centres and heaps of waste lying near buildings under construction. So, the first step should be to regulate/ban such practices which dirty the city. Then comes streamlining waste collection and garbage processing. Senior citizens and people residing in upper floors find it inconvenient to come down and put garbage bags in MC vehicles. The vehicle is erratic and has no regular timings. The best way would be rehriwallas collect garbage from homes and then put it in MC vehicles. Regular monitoring should be done so that no one dumps waste in open spaces or parks. A fine be imposed for littering parks or letting dogs make a mess there.

Bubby Soin, Chandigarh

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Manage waste to improve ranking

It is sad to know that our City Beautiful’s ranking has slipped to 16th from 8th. We must improve our waste-disposal system right from home to disposal point. We must follow the principal of 3 “R”s —reduce, reuse and recycle waste. A drive must be launched to educate people not to throw waste in open places like parks, streets and roads, which paint a poor picture of our city. Help of senior citizens and social organisations must be taken to hold a “Swachh Survekshan Abhiyan” by the authorities concerned in all wards on a regular basis to improve our position next year.

Col TBS Bedi (retd), Mohali

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casual approach towards cleanliness

While there is anger among public, the authorities are also seem to be worried. Local residents blame a causal approach towards cleanliness for a fall in the ranking. Also, failure to properly run waste-processing plants, the delay in floating tenders are the other reasons for the poor show. To my mind, the government authorities alone cannot achieve the targets, participation by public in efforts to improve the ranking is also needed. Every citizen should think how he or she can contribute to bringing back the lost glory of the City Beautiful. The authorities should launch a drive to instil among residents a habit of keeping their soundings clean. RWAs and NGOs can be of much help. Beautiful things can happen even after a bad storm, so nothing to be worried. All need to remain alert and make joint efforts to restore the city’s glory.

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

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Have five-year tenure for mayor

Residents of Chandigarh were living in their self-believed notion that they were living in the country’s most beautiful and well-maintained city. With the Swachh Survekshan that myth has been shattered for all times to come. Indore is maintaining its Rank 1 from the first survey. The tenure of mayor is for a period of one year only. Almost two months are lost in party infighting for the next mayor. Thus, the city lost almost a year of development in a span of five years even with a single party being in power. This practice must end. We should have a five-year tenure for mayor. The old solid waste-management system was not functioning properly. The mountains of legacy garbage should be removed from the face of Chandigarh. If the ground realities are not changed and all planning on paper is not executed in action, it is very hard to turn the tables in the coming years.

Suresh Verma, Chandigarh

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Residents are also to blame

The fall in ranking of Chandigarh from 8th to 16th position should be a matter of serious concern for the right thinking citizens. It is not only the Administration but residents are also equally responsible for the sorry state of affairs. While the Administration has miserably failed to improve the infrastructure, the residents have not discharged their responsibilities by not following the advisories issued by the government. The time has come to restore the city glory by taking strict measures to improve garbage collection as also the condition of roads and parks. This needs to be done by associating RWAs coupled with proper monitoring by senior officials.

Dr Dinesh Kumar Verma, Panchkula

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Admn did not take matter seriously

The Administration did not take the matter seriously and a lack of interest was clearly noticed. The sector associations should work efficiently, so that areas are kept neat and clean. Every citizen must put in his or her efforts to bring the city at the standard of Survekshan next year. It is the first and foremost duty of Chandigarh administration to see to that all uncovered manholes are properly covered and there should not litter.

MR Bhateja, Nayagaon

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Special campaign should be launched

For the past many years, the Administration has not been able to run the waste-processing plant properly in Sector 38 (West). Secondly, owing to increasing population, pollution and waste generation have increased. The Administration should start a special campaign for taking the city to Rank 1. Special bins should be installed and teams deployed to keep a watch on residents. Special awards should be given for checking waste generations in markets and sectors. A new garbage-processing plant with full capacity should be installed. The Administration must ban unnecessary plastic packaging.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

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Most waste is still dumped at Dadu majra

A dysfunctional waste-processing plant, slow disposal of legacy waste and poor waste segregation at source — all these factors pushed the city further down the Swachh Survekshan rankings. The poor solid waste management, particularly waste segregation and disposal, led to the poor show. The city’s GFC certification has been downgraded from 3 star to 1 star. The MC has failed to upgrade the solid waste-processing plant. In June last year, the civic body had taken over the plant from Jaypee Group due to its inability to process the waste completely. But since then, the MC has neither improved its working nor upgraded the technology. Most of the daily waste is still dumped at the Dadumajra landfill. Of a total legacy waste of 5 lakh MT, only about 2 lakh MT (40%) has been removed as yet. The work originally was to be completed in May this year, but the deadline has been extended to August 2023. Though the MC twin-bin door-to-door garbage collection vehicles now cover over 85% of the city, the waste segregation at source still remains a big challenge.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

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Any change starts with us

Any change or reform starts with us. As Gandhiji has rightly said “Be the change you wish to see”. The contribution of one and all will bring results. Charity begins at home. How can you expect any improvement when our own bureaucrats and seniors, while holding meetings relating to Swachh Survekshan, are seen using plastic bottles and talking about proper disposal of plastic and other waste.

Garv Bhupesh, Panchkula

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Need for complete overhauling

There are many reasons like lack of accountability, political patronage and corruption behind the city’s poor ranking in cleanliness despite spending a huge amount of taxpayers’ money. Lethargic solid waste management, bad roads and residents struggling to address their problems of basic amenities have resulted in the city witnessing a drop in its ranking. There is a need to completely overhaul the working efficiency of the MC and weed out corruption. Rope in RWAs and create an effective feedback system to enhance performance. The officials should be assessed on the basis of feedback and the results they achieve. The non-performers should be removed

Colonel Balbir Singh Mathauda (retd), Chandigarh

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Councillors should inspect areas

To improve the position of Chandigarh next year in Swachh Sarvekshan, the councillors should inspect their respective areas for cleanliness. The phrase, “The cleanliness is next to godliness”, must be followed by each and every one. The system of waste disposal should be upgraded with the help of advanced technologies. Awareness drives on cleanliness should be conducted at the morning assembly in schools. Also, awareness campaigns regarding cleanliness should be conducted through webinars.

Adish Sood, Amloh

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Funds not spent judiciously

One of the biggest causes for the drop in ranking is the non-functioning garbage-processing plant. Segregation of waste is not being implemented efficaciously. Even though the funds allocated for sanitation are ample, these are not being spent judiciously. The Administration should focus on improving the technology and capability of the waste-processing plant. The corporation should actively engage with residents and chalk up a fitting policy so that the city sustains its tag of “City Beautiful”.

Ananya Goel, Ambala

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Remove weaknesses one by one

The MC should pinpoint weaknesses and then devise a plan to improve the ranking. The foremost is improving the capacity of the garbage-processing plant. Next is streamlining door-to-door garbage collection and waste segregation at the source. Thirdly, public participation is also an area of concern. Some areas such as the vegetable market of Sector 26 and kisan mandis need special attention for collection and disposal of garbage. Citizens should be sensitised to keep parks and public places clean. Timely disposal of horticulture waste should be ensured. Plastic use has to be curbed.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh

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Implementation is ineffective

Residents as well officials are equally responsible. Though the city has sufficient infrastructure, the implementation of plans is ineffective. The authorities had wasted around five months just in floating tenders and finalising a company for the waste-treatment plant. The citizens’ Participation, wholeheartedly support and internal willingness among officials is required to clean the every nook and corner of the city. The city is just like our common house and its maintenance should be the priority of every citizens which should be instilled in all residents. Officials concerned must guide the public with full cooperation to maintain cleanliness. The RWAs, departments and the Chandigarh Business Council should come forward to ensure cleanliness in the vegetable market and other markets. The political parties should launch special drives on cleanliness during the MC elections.

Sukhpal Singh, Chandigarh