Swachh Suvekshan Survey: On road to cleanliness, Panchkula aspires to do better

The Swachh Survekshan 2018 ranking of 4,041 cities is based on three sources of information – the survey agency’s direct observation of slum areas, public areas and markets, neighbourhoods and public toilets; citizen feedback and service level progress, which the agency will obtain from various urban local bodies. This year, out of a score of 4,000, 35 per cent weightage will be given to service level progress, 30 per cent to direct observation and 35 per cent to citizen feedback.

So, the Panchkula Municipal Corporation has woken up with a jolt. According to Priyanka Chauhan, the City Team Leader of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, though work began last September, effective work started last December when the MC started distributing two bins per household in the Panchkula area in order to segregate the waste at the domestic level.

The Panchkula area comprises Kalka, Pinjore and Panchkula. These three areas have been further divided into 20 wards, where each ward consists of two-three sectors. The bin distribution is complete in five wards and the MC hopes to cover all wards by February end, according to Chauhan. After distribution is complete, violators will be fined Rs 500.

Additionally, 29 electric carts have been deployed by the MC for door-to-door pick-up of segregated waste. Existing rag and waste pickers have been given IDs to formalise them. Once electric carts become fully functional, these workers would be absorbed into the waste treatment plants for which a tender has been floated.

Although the MC does not charge households for collection of waste or for providing waste bins, it incorporates a certain charge as part of the property tax. Even so, they soon hope to charge households a nominal fee for this service.

For the maintenance of the 145 public and community toilets in the area, responsibility has been given to Sulabh Sauchalaya. Users will also be able to give immediate feedback through polling machines installed outside the washrooms.

Recently, portable toilets have also been installed next to roundabouts – each toilet comes at an approximate cost of Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000. Thirty of these toilets have been given to the department as donations. Although the toilet type is portable, all of them have been fixed and made permanent, complete with water supply. A group of autorickshaw drivers, standing next to the Sector 10/15 roundabout, said they were happy to have a proper facility to relieve themselves.

In areas where there is no water supply and sewage pipes, mobile toilets have been provided. At present, 27 such toilets have been deployed. Although the MC has provided the residents with a mobile toilet facility, there is paucity of water because of which they continue to defecate in the open. On this, Chauhan says that the MC was aware of water scarcity in areas such as Gandhi Colony, Indira Colony and Khadak Mangoli and according to her, the MC has decided to refill water in tanks every four hours. “If the problem still persists, we will take action against those responsible. We are also challaning people for open defecation.”

Chauhan added that the administration was facing trouble from the residents due to lack of cooperation on their part. She added that recently, one of her subordinates was attacked by a colony resident with a stone when the civic team was sensitising the residents.

Since September 2017, 224 people have been challaned – 189 for open defecation, 16 for open urination and 19 for irresponsible garbage disposal. The MC has collected Rs 1,12,000 in fines since then.

As many as 1,900 superintendents, ragpickers, waste workers make up the ground workforce. Through the Swachh Map app, users can upload photographs of areas that are not up to the mark, post which it is the MC’s responsibility to clean it. Entry tickets to Pinjore Garden were recently made free for citizens, who download the Swachh Map app to incentivise a greater user base, which is presently at 1 lakh pan India and 5,165 across the Panchkula area.