Chandigarh Swachh achievement: Heaps of garbage narrate a different tale
Chandigarh’s entry into the Super Swachh League in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 under the 3–10 lakh population category has given the residents a reason to rejoice, but the ground reality presents a different picture.
One can see heaps of garbage and litter across the city. Experts say these gaps in plans to get better rankings in the Swachh Survekshan are quite visible on the ground. The residents of many sectors are unhappy with the present state of sanitation in their respective areas.
Traders say that sanitation is not satisfactory in most of the markets of the city. They Municipal Corporation will have to do a lot more to improve cleanliness in the city, they claimed.
President of the Second Innings Association RK Garg said it was appreciable that the city scored 100 percent in waste processing, cleanliness of residential as well as market areas and the hygiene in public toilets, but the achievement must also reflect on the ground.
The legacy waste at the Dadumajra dumping ground has not been completely removed so far and it is under the watch of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the High Court.
A resident of Sector 44-D, VK Nirnal, said sanitary conditions were unsatisfactory in his sector, while adding that a heap of garbage lying near Annual Green Belt, Park 1, has become an eyesore. It is increasing day by day.
Vinod Vashisht, convener, City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations, said there was a lot to be done when it came to door to door waste collection and segregation at source points. The city had performed poorly in this aspect.
He said Chandigarh had again failed to upgrade to 5-star or 7-star Garbage Free Cities (GFC) rankings this year. Without upgrading this ranking, it will not be able to compete with the cities having over 10 lakh population.
Sanjeev Chadda, president the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, said the sanitation work in all markets required improvement. Heaps of garbage can be seen at many places even in Sector 17, which is the heart of the city. Owing to the lack of proper supervision, the sanitation employees are not performing their duty diligently.
He suggested that a proper strategy should be formulated in consultation with the market welfare association to improve sanitation in these areas.
Gopal K Wadhwa, president of Traders Welfare Association of Sector 22-B, said the parking area remained fully occupied by vendors throughout the day. There is no check on littering by these vendors, he added.
Surjit Singh, a resident of Mauli Jagran, said it seemed that the area was not part of the city. Both sides of the main road leading to the colony are dotted with heaps of the garbage.
Chandigarh