Dharamsala MC gets national award for waste management

The Dharamsala Municipal Corporation has received the National SKOCH award 2024 for best waste management and sanitation practices. Zaffar Iqbal, Commissioner, Dharamsala MC, received the award at the 100th SKOCH summit held in Delhi today.

Zaffar Iqbal, while talking to The Tribune, said the MC had been awarded for putting in place a foolproof system of collection, transportation and processing of waste. We have put in place a system of door-to-door collection of solid waste in addition to underground and other dustbins across the city, he said. The civic body has collaborated with private players through outsourcing for the collection and management of solid waste. Collaboration with NGOs and self help groups is also helping the MC in effective implementation of the door-to-door collection of garbage, the commissioner said.

He added that the MC had also been ensuring the welfare of “safai sathis”(sanitation workers). They are being provided uniform and ID cards. Their health was being monitored through medical camps. They had also been provided houses under the Union Government’s scheme for providing free houses through Integrated Housing Slum Development Program (IHSDP). The MC was taking early childhood care of their children in collaboration with NGOs. There was also a control room for addressing grievances related to sanitation. The sanitation activities of the city were being monitored through CCTV cameras, he said. The commissioner congratulated the entire team of the Dharamsala MC after receiving the award.