Garbage heaps should not be seen in any city: Urban Development Minister Bhupendra Singh

Bhopal : Urban Development and Housing Minister Shri Bhupendra Singh has said that all cities of the state should be made garbage free. No heaps of garbage should be seen in any city. He said that the urban bodies will be ranked on the basis of work done by them from August 16 to 30 in the “Gandagi Bharat Chhodo-Madhya Pradesh” campaign. Urban bodies that get good ranking will be honoured. Shri Singh said that the ranking should be done by an agency or team of officials of the Directorate of Urban Administration and Development.

Urban Development and Housing Minister Shri Singh said that programmes related to cleanliness should be organized every day in different districts during the campaign, which will be launched from August 16 to 30. Public representatives should also be invited in these programmes. He said that they should undertake activities that people should also feel that something different is happening. Plans should be made in a week for small towns and other cities where there is no system of garbage disposal. Setting up of plants on PPP mode or government level for waste management should be considered.

It may be mentioned here that in the “Gandagi Bharat Chhodo-Madhya Pradesh” campaign, citizens will be sensitized and made aware of cleanliness and waste management of both individual and public toilets in cities. In the campaign, discussion will be held with citizens in slums and other localities from August 16 to 18, through non-governmental organizations on oath of cleanliness and maintenance and cleaning of individual toilets. During the campaign, online dialogue and discussions will be held with urban bodies, youth and students from August 19 to 21 regarding ‘No Plastic and Recycling, Reuse, Reduce and Refuse (4-R). Awareness activities in connection with plastic ban will be organized in markets and public places through civic organizations and public representatives.

People will be made aware about safe disposal of napkins and used masks in connection with Covid-19 from August 22 to 24 in the campaign. The civic body will carry out cleanliness of quarantine centres, advise on wearing of masks and honour sanitation workers in the urban bodies. In the campaign from August 25 to 27, discussion will be held with members of self-help groups and housing associations regarding waste segregation at source in residential premises and safe disposal of harmful household wastes. In the last phase, from August 28 to 30, swachhata shramdan with the cooperation of the bodies and allied organizations, and bodies special cleaning campaign will be launched inside and outside all public toilets.

Urban Development and Housing Minister Shri Singh has instructed to wear masks and compulsorily follow social distancing protocol during programmess and not to undertake these activities in Containment Zones. Stalls should be set up to distribute masks received from donors wherever these programmes are organized. Activities should be regularly reported. For this, Google Link will be released from the Directorate of Urban Administration and Development.

Citizens should be made aware and encouraged by campaigning extensively. Principal Secretary Urban Development and Housing Shri Nitesh Vyas and Commissioner Urban Administration and Development Shri Nikunj Shrivastava and other officials were present in the meeting.