Municipal Commissioner K K Yadav.What are the reasons for the big fall?
One major reason is that other cities are doing really well. Bhopal and Chandigarh which were 2nd and 3rd last time came 19th and 20th while Indore retained the first rank, which means that technically, between first and second ranks of last year, 17 cities have improved. Other cities are actually doing really well and going in for a number of reforms.
Read | Swachh Survekshan: Chandigarh slips from rank 3 to 20
In Chandigarh also, certain reforms are in the pipeline. The ranking is mostly on how sustainable the reforms are. Because of the public toilet issue, we just got 50 marks in the ‘ODF’ category and even as we claimed three stars, we got marks only for a two-star rating. We suffered in the ‘certification category’ — where right from garbage generators to waste segregation to disposal, everything is assessed.
Do you think the 20-day deadlock between MC and garbage collectors over waste segregation, and the MC succumbing to pressure later led to this?
I have had interactions with various cities. Whenever there is transformation…it is never smooth…We can’t expect garbage collectors to accept it with the click of a button. The deadlock was anticipated. But now we have got the best way out and can push forward our reforms. One year’s ranking is not to something to be demotivated about because we will push ahead for reforms which will be in place in Chandigarh for the long term.
Do you blame the political dispensation for this failure?
My personal view is that we have a democratic setup. Public representatives, media, RWAs, officers all put forth their point. So as a commissioner, I take the blame for this rank.
What are the initiatives you took on this year?
We made consistent efforts. We are dealing with bulk generators. Also, we made efforts to ensure more waste processing as well. The Jaypee Group was carrying out only 35 per cent waste processing, we have been able to raise it to 80 per cent now. We tried to take over garbage collection as well but there were certain concerns raised by garbage collectors. We will be addressing them now.
What are the remedial steps?
The main issue is of waste collection and segregation at source, its transport, and processing. We are buying twin-bin vehicles for segregation, and work orders have been issued. Work of transfer stations is also in progress. Under the Smart City project, we will be coming up with legacy mining at the dumping ground.
