Sign in

MCG begins nine-day cleanliness campaign across Gurugram

MCG commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar said that they have formed special teams that will closely monitor the cleanliness drive daily

Updated on: Apr 3, 2024, 06:48:17 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
Copy link
  • copy link

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) launched a nine-day special cleanliness campaign on Tuesday to improve sanitation in Gurugram, people familiar with the matter said. The move comes in response to several complaints from residents across the city highlighting the poor sanitation conditions, said officials.

Garbage on a road in Sector 40 near Community Center in Gurugram on Tuesday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)
Garbage on a road in Sector 40 near Community Center in Gurugram on Tuesday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Officials said a meeting was held in the MCG office during which an action plan was made. According to this plan, a cleanliness drive will be executed in all the affected areas until April 11. The details of this plan were also shared with the residents.

MCG commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar said that they have formed special teams that will closely monitor the cleanliness drive daily, taking proactive measures to ensure transparency and accountability. “The teams have been asked to share visual updates on resident-created groups regarding the daily updates. They have been asked to keep regular contact with resident welfare associations (RWAs) so that sanitation issues can be resolved,” he said.

Bangar said that the drive will kick off from Sector 46 on Wednesday, followed by Sector 31 on Thursday. It will then extend to Sectors 44, 45, 40, 47, 57, Ardee City, Sushant Lok A-3, and South City 2 on April 11.

Meanwhile, residents said that sanitation has not improved on the ground despite several cleanliness drives having been conducted in the past.

Chaitali Mandhotra, a member of the Ardee City RWA, said cleanliness is deteriorating in their area. “Despite consistently sharing images of newly emerged dump points in the neighbourhood over the past three months with the MCG helpline, there has been no response or action taken. Cleanliness in Gurugram has become a thing of the past with garbage dumps visible everywhere, both within neighbourhoods and outside. We have highlighted the RWA’s initiative to employ their own sanitation workers due to the infrequency of MCG workers coming to the area,” she said.

Puneet Pahwa, general secretary of the Sector 45 RWA, said MCG has not provided them with the list of sanitation inspectors or workers responsible for maintaining cleanliness in their area despite repeated requests. “Despite our persistent efforts, the civic agency has failed to provide this crucial information. The RWA has also proposed to take responsibility for sanitation services in the sector since we can bring significant improvements within a quarter and at a reduced cost by 10%, but our pleas have gone unanswered,” he said.

Residents of Palam Vihar, and Sectors 21, 23, 57, and 48 have also raised complaints about the deteriorating sanitation conditions in their neighbourhoods.

  • Leena Dhankhar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Leena Dhankhar

    Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More