Blame game as Mayor, PMC admin call in the city fathers to aid clean up

PUNE The Pune Municipal Corporation’s administration has appealed to elected members to ensure increased involvement in the central government’s Swacch Survey 2020. At this special meeting called on Wednesday, most corporators were absent, given the political drama in Mumbai.

Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol called the meeting to increase participation in the city’s drive to ensure its “cleanliness quotient” stays on the up.

Dnyeshwar Molak, Solid Waste Management department head, said, “Other cities which are performing well on the Swachh Sarvekshan rankings have the involvement of citizens and elected members. Indore is an example where elected members are working closely with the residents.”

Bharatiya Janata Party members took the oppurtunity to attack the administration and blamed it for the city’s poor performance, citing that even the PMC’s headquarters is also not cleaned regularly.

Leader of the house, Shirnath Bhimale, batting for the administration, said, “It is the responsibility of all elected members to keep their wards clean and help the administration.”

Bhimale said that administration is taking every effort to ensure a good ranking in the Swachh survey and elected members need to support this.

Additional municipal commissioner Shantanu Goyal, present at this meeting, also appealed to elected members to take an interest in the cleanliness project.