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This is an archive article published on August 22, 2020

Chandigarh: Book those who gave wrong info to Swachh Bharat Mission, say councillors

Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla said, "It is a blunder if you give wrong information. We will definitely take it up in the House meeting. An FIR should be lodged against all the officials who gave this information."

Swachh Bharat Mission, Chandigarh councillors, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh news, Indian express newsEven though on-site sanitation systems have been prevalent in India since Independence, the urban sanitation sector never received such dedicated attention as it got after the launch of strategic National FSSM guidelines in 2017. (File Photo)

An FIR should be lodged against those who gave wrong and misleading information about Chandigarh’s solid waste management to the Swachh Bharat Mission, demanded councillors of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla said, “It is a blunder if you give wrong information. We will definitely take it up in the House meeting. An FIR should be lodged against all the officials who gave this information.”

A BJP councillor on condition of anonymity said that they will take this up with the high command.

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“Until you don’t present the actual picture, how will there be scope for improvement? By telling lies, you are cheating everyone. I will be speaking to the high command,” the councillor said.

The councillors said that the claim of 95 per cent waste processing can also impact their case in the court against the company that was running the waste processing plant at Dadumajra.

The latest report of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Solid Waste Management, that quotes Swachh Bharat Mission as its source, states that there is 95 per cent waste processing in Chandigarh, 100 per cent door-to-door waste collection and segregation at source in 24 out of 26 wards.

Residents, activists and councillors of the city have already said that these are “fudged inputs given”.

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The CSE report, which is based upon Swachh Bharat Mission data, quoted the implementation up to January 2020.

It mentioned that in door-to-door waste collection category, it was 100 per cent, that is in all 26 wards. It specified segregation of waste in 24 out of 26 wards and total waste processing at 95%. It said that Chandigarh processes 455 MT waste out of a total of 479 metric tons of waste generated per day.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) during its hearing on February 12, 2020, had ordered that the MC can decide on the question of continuing or not continuing the present contract of solid waste processing plant at Dadumajra run by Jaiprakash Associates within one month. Following this, the MC decided that they will take over the plant as it wasn’t processing the waste. The plant was taken over two months ago by the civic body.

Hina Rohtaki is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, Chandigarh. She covers Chandigarh administration and other cross beats. In this field for over a decade now, she has also received the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award by the President of India in January 2020. She tweets @HinaRohtaki ... Read More

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