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Garbage-free cities: Pune gets 3-star rating
Pune Municipal Corporation aims to make it to top ten cities in the Swachh Survey
Pune bagged three-star rating in a central government’s ranking for garbage-free cities (GFC), said officials on Thursday.
The ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) upgraded the rating for Pune, Noida, Visakhapatnam, Vadodara, Ahmednagar, Ballarpur and Gwalior from one-star previously.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) aims to make it to top ten cities in the Swachh Survey.
Solid waste management department head Gyaneshwar Molak said, “It is encouraging to receive three-star certificate in garbage-free cities. Some cities were ranked fivestar, but PMC scored in other parameters.”
“My heartiest congratulations to Visakhapatnam, Vadodara, Ahmednagar, Pune, Ballarpur, Noida, Gwalior, which have been upgraded in review as three-star Garbage Free Cities. Their representations on recent certification have been scrutinised by a third party and were found fit for a higher rating,” MoHUA secretary DS Mishra tweeted.
In another tweet, Mishra also applauded the efforts of citizens, city managers and political executives in managing the construction and demolition wastes, remediation of landfills and other aspects of solid waste and ODF (open-defecation free) management. “This will ensure Sampurna Swachhata (total cleanliness), improved quality of life and ease in living,” he said.
The star rating of garbage-free cities, a MoHUA initiative, envisions to enable cities to gradually evolve into a model, seven-star city, with progressive improvements in their overall cleanliness. The star rating is based on 25 key parameters of solid waste management and has been designed to help cities assess their progress, encouraging them to move towards a better rating and improving their overall cleanliness and aesthetics.
The certificate is based on the whole year’s performance in 2019.
Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol said, “All the employees and residents will make efforts this year to take Pune to top spot. We have received three-star rating in garbage-free cities. We hope to top in the Swacch survey. PMC had not qualified for open defecation free status, but later it improved its ranking.”
The mandatory parameters for GFC ratings include door-to-door garbage collection and their segregation at source besides sweeping at public, commercial and residential areas. It also includes the provision of litter bins, storage bins and processing of wet and dry wastes, besides redressals of people’s grievances, said officials.
The desirable parameters include sustainability, on-site wet waste processing, dumpsite remediation besides collection and disposal of all forms of waste, penalty and spot fines, availability and use of scientific landfill, water bodies and storm water drains, screening of nallahs and construction waste management, they added.
