Wednesday, 11 SEPTEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Expressing dissatisfaction over the sanitation conditions in the city, the Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal transferred the duties of sanitation related operations to the deputy municipal commissioner which were being managed by the chief municipal health officer for years on Tuesday. The chief municipal health officer Dr Avinash Khanna will now focus on core duties such as coordination with the health department, dengue and malaria prevention, surveillance and health risk assessments.
During a recent review of the city’s sanitation system, Bansal identified weaknesses in cleaning operations, door to door waste collection, vehicle management and fogging, which prompted the decision. The DM personally monitored the operations and voiced his dissatisfaction with the ineffective management of waste collection and monitoring, which had been under the purview of Khanna alongside other duties. Bansal opined that the sanitation conditions were certainly not improving in the city under the current system. Considering this, he shifted main sanitation responsibilities from Khanna to deputy municipal commissioner Gopal Ram Binwal. This structural change is intended to bring more efficiency and accountability to the system. Besides this, Bansal also raised concerns over the lack of transparency in the verification of sanitation works handled by contracted companies working under the MCD. Bansal emphasised the need for quality control in cleanliness efforts and instructed that transparency must be maintained in the verification of work carried out by these companies. He had also directed contracted companies to improve their performance within 45 days. He warned that those found neglecting their duties will face strict action.
