Jalandhar Cantt rated top cantonment area in Swachhta Survekshan

Deepkamal Kaur

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 20

From the 12th rank among 62 cantonments across the country last year, Jalandhar cantonment has sprung a surprise by jumping to the top in the Swachhta Survekshan – 2020 conducted by Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

The Cantonment Board managed to score 3,670 points with strict implementation of eco-friendly initiatives like segregation of waste at source, use of compost, rainwater harvesting and plastic ban.

A Government of India team had visited various pockets of the 15.2 sq km cantonment area in November last year and verified all factors and parameters set for the survey.

Jyoti Kumar, CEO, Jalandhar Cantonment, attributes the recognition to the hard work of the sanitation staff, the joint efforts of the residents, and NGO Green Hearts.

“Our sensitisation programme on waste segregation was carried out in a very effective manner. All those residents, who could not understand how segregation was to be done, were demonstrated the same outside their house,” Kumar informed.

“The garden waste was managed within the garden with aerobic and anaerobic pits of green and dry foliage created in the compound,” he said.

In the cantonment area, there is strictness over the use of plastic bags. Even awareness drives had been carried out in the entire residential area. Jute handbags have been distributed and the residents have been urged to carry them to market places. Even fines had been imposed for the violators, said the CEO.

Kumar further said all the residents here had been given blue and green colour dustbins and they had been ordered to hand over the green waste separately to the safai karamcharis engaged in the door-to-door collection of waste.

As the sale of compost could not be possible, the same was used in hospitals, schools and government buildings, he mentioned.

Also, all government buildings got rainwater harvesting systems installed for recharging of groundwater, said Kumar.

While Jalandhar Cantt rose to the top, Jalandhar city secured a disappointing 119th position.