‘Public representatives and bureaucrats apathetic towards Uttarakhand’s waste management crisis’
Nautiyal calls for action plans ahead of ULB elections
PNS | DEHRADUN
Public representatives and bureaucrats in Uttarakhand are not serious about waste management despite the fact that 64 urban local bodies out of 80 ULBs in Uttarakhand with populations under one lakh are among the North India’s dirtiest cities. The waste management issue is one of the biggest challenges of the State but it is often neglected during elections. Political parties need to present detailed action plans through their respective manifestos for the improvement of waste management situations in all cities and towns for the upcoming ULB elections.
Activist and president of the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, Anoop Nautiyal stated this during the release of the detailed report on Uttarakhand Swacchh Survekshan 2023 analysis on Friday. He highlighted the State’s poor performance in the survey. He criticised the government for focusing on the two awards it received while neglecting the setbacks and failures. According to the analysis, 87 out of 88 ULBs received a zero in the Garbage Free Category (GFC) out of 1,375 points, yet little has been done to address the issue. “Uttarakhand’s performance in SS23 was extremely disappointing, especially in the 50,000 to 1 lakh population category. Six ULBs from Uttarakhand ranked in the lowest quarter out of 98 in North India. The worst-ranked city was Khatima, the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s hometown, which ranked 98th, making it the dirtiest city in this category,” he said. The analysis provided 10 key recommendations to improve waste management in the State’s cities and towns.
The foremost suggestion is the formation of a Waste Management Commission to oversee all six types of waste—solid waste, plastic waste, e-waste, biomedical waste, construction waste and hazardous waste. Nautiyal proposed that the commission develop and implement holistic waste management plans for urban, rural and forest areas.
Besides this, he also called for a special session in the Vidhan Sabha to raise awareness and train legislators, ministers and officials on cleanliness initiatives. The session should focus on pressing environmental issues such as climate change and cleanliness, as per him. Nautiyal stressed that due to the apathy of the political and bureaucratic classes, there is an urgent need for a Jan Pratinidhi Andolan in Uttarakhand to mobilise citizens and push for accountability. He urged all political parties to include comprehensive action plans for waste management in their election manifestos.
