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HT Readers’ take: Chandigarh needs a clean-up act
Readers feel Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula can do better on the Swachh rankings if the authorities and residents work together. While residents must do their bit by segregating waste at homes, adopting practices such as composting and avoiding littering, authorities must put in place better waste processing systems
Shabby waste management system
Chandigarh, which is known as City Beautiful, performed poorly in the Swachh Survekshan due to its shabby waste management system. While residents must do their bit by not littering and following the waste segregation norms, the MC needs to focus on getting rid of the legacy waste of the city.
Sandeep Rawat, Chandigarh
Sustainable living
Residents can take small steps, which can help affect big changes in the long run. The basic rule of reduce, reuse and recycle must be followed diligently. Secondly, garbage must be segregated at source so that the authorities can dispose it in an efficient manner. Thirdly, residents must be educated about sustainable living.
Gaurav Jain, Chandigarh
New C&D policy can help
It is shameful that a city like Chandigarh, which has a highly-educated population, has done so poorly in Swachh Survekshan. Residents of a planned city like Chandigarh should lead the way in implementing good waste management practices. The new construction and demolition (C&D) policy, which will let generators of malba take processed material costing 50% of the processing charges for free, and penalise those dumping malba at non-designated spots, will help a great deal. The MC needs to bring in more upgrades in its waste management plants. Residents must also do their bit by taking small steps, such as converting kitchen waste into compost.
Sqn Ldr Manjit Singh Johar (retd), Chandigarh
Mountain of shame
Chandigarh’s great fall in Swachh Survekshan 2021 is disappointing for its residents. The city’s dysfunctional waste management plant and the huge mountain of legacy waste have spoiled city’s rank in the survey. Authorities need to act fast and make the waste management plant functional, so that waste can be processed. Besides, initiatives such as rewarding good waste management practices by residents can also prove helpful.
Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh
Involve citizens in the mission
The planned cities of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula can easily attain the top ranks in Swachh Survekshan if these have dedicated teams working towards the goal. The reason Indore has been doing well in the survey is that it has managed to get its residents on board. The municipal corporation alone cannot achieve this target; active citizens’ participation is a must.
Simarjit Bhogal, via email
Tricity lagging behind on all counts
As per the ministry of urban development and housing, there are five parameters to determine the cleanliness of the city: Collection and transportation, processing and disposal of waste, sanitation levels, behavioural changes and capacity building. Tricity is lagging behind on all five counts. The reason behind this is lack of willingness and involvement of citizens.
KNS Sodhi, Mohali
Fix responsibility
The Swachh ranking dip is matter of concern for City Beautiful and responsibility must be fixed at the earliest. The city has the right infrastructure but its implementation is shoddy. Had the authorities not delayed the tenders for hiring a waste processing firm, the city may have been in a better position. Citizens’ participation is also crucial. Political parties must also make cleanliness their poll plank.
Sukhpal Singh, Chandigarh
Political will is needed
The slump in the rank of City Beautiful is not shocking as mismanagement was pretty evident. Chandigarh is a planned city but on the civic front, there is little planning. Instead of passing the buck, authorities must address the problem areas. For that, political willingness is crucial. That would come only if residents hold their elected representatives accountable.
Amanpreet Kaur Bains, Kurali
Health hazard
Debris and malba on vacant plots and roads are not only an eyesore, but also an obstruction in the cleaning process. Owners of such plots must be penalized for not ensuring cleanliness of their plot. Such spots can also become a health hazard by becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Anju Juneja, via email
MC needs to pull up its socks
From rank 2 in 2014, City Beautiful has slipped to shameful 66 this year in Swachh Survekshan. The position is likely to deteriorate further if the municipal corporation and administration don’t pull up their socks. Instead of assigning the work to contractors, the MC must take matters into its own hands and set right the waste management system of the city. It’s not just about the rankings, it is residents’ health that is at risk due to the slipping cleanliness levels.
SK Khosla, Chandigarh
No improvement till waste plant is in place
The city’s cleanliness index will keep slipping till the waste management plant’s capacity is not increased. Authorities must direct all their resources to this end. Besides, it is also upon us s residents to keep our city clean and green. Awareness drives can help a great deal in achieving citizens’ participation.
Aarti Verma, Panchkula
Sensitise the public
The clean city initiative cannot make much progress until there is active citizens’ participation. To achieve this, authorities must hold regular sensitization workshops to get citizens involved. We must all learn from Indore dogged pursuit of cleanliness and see how we can do the same for our city. The authorities must also provide sufficient funds to achieve this target.
P Mehta, via email
Rankings a wake-up call
The poor show in Swachh rankings has come as a wake-up call not only for Chandigarh but also for Mohali and Panchkula. It is time for the authorities of the three cities to draw a clear roadmap and fix responsibility on erring officials. The defaulters must be made to pay for the losses from the own pockets. Residents must also do their bit to help city improve.
Subhash Chugh, via email
MC in slumber
Due to the MC’s carelessness, the city is going to the dogs. Garbage can be seen lying all over the place, storm water drains are choked by waste and pedestrian paths and green belts are not maintained well. The regular meetings of the MC officials and councillors are of no use if they cannot solve the most basic problems of the city. Huge amounts have been spent on devices such as smart watches for sanitation works, but with little result.
Sateesh Dadwal, Chandigarh
Waste segregation at source
Unless waste is segregated at the source, it will be very difficult to manage it. But habits don’t change overnight. Penalising citizens will only antagonise them. So a consistent, focused campaign to sensitise and reinforce waste segregation is need to get the residents on board. Many are not even aware about the classification of the garbage into various categories. We should learn lessons from other cities across India, which have bagged the top rank. All of us a required to do our bit to improve our city’s rankings.
Anil Kumar Yadav, Chandigarh
Let’s do our bit
It is sad that City Beautiful’s ranking has gone down in Swachh Survekshan 2021. It is high time we improve our waste disposal system, starting from our homes to the disposal point. At the outset, we must follow basic principal of 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle waste. A drive must be launched to educate people on waste segregation. Also, people must not throw waste in open places like parks, streets, road berms etc which paint a very poor picture of our city.
Col TBS Bedi, Mohali
Clear legacy waste on war footing
The legacy waste accumulating at Dadumajra is a blot on City Beautiful. The administration must start an initiative to clear the legacy waste on war footing. Also, to improve the Swachh Rankings, citizens’ participation plays a major role. The civic body must take up initiatives to train people in waste segregation at source. Also, sanitation workers should also carry out their work properly. Those found negligent at their work must be punished while those doing well must be rewarded. Regular feedback must be taken from residents’ welfare associations to ensure all is well on the ground.
Kidar Nath Sharma, via email
Ban plastic bags
The government must ban plastic all across the country as plastic, being non-biodegradable, leaves a major impact on the environment. We must all consciously resolve to limit plastic use as much as possible and switch alternatives, such as bamboo, jute etc.
SK Thakur, via email
Spare a thought for sanitation workers
Tricity’s isn’t doing well in waste segregation and processing. To top that municipal officials and sanitation workers are always on warpath. The ‘safai karamcharis’ work is the most difficult and if they refuse to work, our city will stink. The administration must be benevolent towards their needs and encourage them by rewarding them for the work from time-to-time. Also, the tricity must seriously consider setting up biogas plants to gainfully treat solid waste.
Capt Amar Jeet, Kharar
Better governance, residents’ participation
Poor governance and litter are two of the biggest threats to Chandigarh’s ‘City Beautiful’ tag. Citizens need to abstain from littering, open urination etc. Apart from these, ensure cleaner markets (rope in market associations for it) and also ensure better cleanliness and garbage management in villages under Chandigarh MC.
Kampreet Gill, Chandigarh
Lead by example
We humans have herd mentality. If we see others engaging in bad practices, we follow them, if we see them doing the right things, we do the same. In airports, where there is cleanliness, residents barely litter, but at roadsides, where garbage is lying, passersby will add carelessly discard their waste. So to set things right, we need community leaders leading by example, so other can learn and follow.
Vineet Gandhi, Chandigarh
Shun blame game
The city has slipped on the Swachh Survekshan rankings primarily due to poor solid waste management system and ineffective implementation of waste segregation at source. Due to the non-functional waste plant, garbage is accumulating near the waste plant, making lives of residents nearby a nightmare. Amid this, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are engaged in a political slugfest over who is to be blamed. While the BJP accuses the Congress of preparing a faulty tender and poor selection of site, the Congress blames the BJP for not being able to resolve the issue despite holding power in the MC and the Centre.
SC Luthra, Chandigarh
Dust, debris due to construction
Efficient solid waste management mechanism is a far cry in the city due to lack of political will. Though poor waste management is one of the main reasons for the dip in Swachh Survekshan Rankings, the unchecked construction work in and around the city is also leading to dust and debris accumulation.
Deepak Kumar, Panchkula
Dwindling cleanliness
Chandigarh was once renowned for its beauty and spick and span roads but over the years, it has lost its sheen. The defunct waste treatment plant has had a major role to play in the city’s dipping cleanliness standards. But the spurt in population and ensuing construction work has also been a contributor. Over increased plastic usage over the years has also degraded the environment. The administration must act before it’s too late. Competitions between sectors, residential societies etc can be explored to help city get back its clean tag.
Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh
Single-use plastic must be banned
The city needs to re-work its waste management practices. While residents must clean up their act and stop littering, and start segregation of work, authorities must impose penalty on all those erring on these fronts. More dustbins must be made available at public places to discourage littering. And residents must also take a conscious decision to reduce use of single-use plastic items.
Prabhjot Nagpal, Zirakpur
Authorities’ complacency to be blamed
Chandigarh has slipped on Swachh Survekshan rankings due to the complacency of authorities. Community participation is also lacking. Charity begins at home, so residents must start from their own homes for better waste management. Once that is achieved, we can think about improving the city’s rankings and country’s image.
Garv Bhupesh, Panchkula
Turn the gaze inwards
How can we expect any change, when our bureaucrats and politicians can themselves be seen holding Swachh Survekshan meetings with plastic water bottles placed next to them. Before they check other, they must turn the gaze inwards.
Anju Mohan, Panchkula
Cloth bags instead of plastic ones
The MC must work on upgrading the waste plant. Residents must minimise use of plastic bags. Little steps like using jute or cloth bags for shopping, not throwing trash at public places can go a long way. It is a sad sight to see polythene bags scattered in mandis along with discarded vegetables and fruits, which are consumed by cattle and stray dogs. It should be the responsibility of market officials to check this.
Vijay Malia, Chandigarh
MC must take action against defaulters
Solid waste is a challenge for the tricity. The MC started garbage collection in twin-bin carriages to separate wet and dry waste, but due to lack of initiative on residents’ part, it is yet to be fully implemented. Since the next Swachh Survekshan is round the corner, the civic body has become strict and decided to take action against the defaulters. It must show the same urgency round the year.
Usha Verma, Chandigarh
Wrong notion of clean city
Residents of Chandigarh were of the notion that they live in a clean and green city. The latest Swachh Survey has broken that myth. The local administration and residents are to be equally blamed for this. We must now ponder on corrective steps.
Suresh Verma, Chandigarh
READER OF THE WEEK
Residents, authorities need to work together
For the city to improve its Swachh rankings, we need community participation as well as official willingness. At the outset, we need to focus on implementing waste segregation and then work towards enhancing the capacity of recycling and processing of solid waste. Also, authorities must ensure compliance to the ban on use of single-use plastic. Residents need to be sensitised about their role in keeping their cities clean, and the long-term environmental impact of our actions.
Akancsha Sood, Chandigarh
EXPERT TAKE
Eye on star-rating
Though our ranking has improved, our aim is to get star rating for which, we will’ve to focus on waste segregation, plastic ban and reuse of construction waste. I urge residents to cooperate with us.
Kamal Kumar Garg, Mohali municipal commissioner
Get public involved
Until unless public doesn’t get involved actively, the rankings won’t improve. So, we are going to hold meetings seeking public opinion on what all measures can be taken to bring an improvement.
Dharamvir, Panchkula MC commissioner
RWAs’ role
MC must involve RWAs in garbage collection process or the ranking will fall further. Residents know the problem areas that MC can’t seem to find. There are so many issues with regards to new van-based garbage collection yet the MC chooses to ignore it.
Major DP Singh (retd), CRAWFED patron
Need to inculcate ‘green culture’
Waste segregation at source is critical for efficient processing. RWAs can play an effective role in this. We also need to adopt a green culture, which focus on reduce, reuse and recycle.
Dr Namita Gupta, associate professor, Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Panjab University
