Officials fear ongoing DSCL work may affect Dehradun’s position in Swacch Survekshan 2021

Though the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) has taken more initiatives this year to improve sanitation facilities in the city than the last year, many opine that the ongoing construction works of Dehradun Smart City Limited (DSCL) might affect the ranking of the city in Swacch Survekshan 2021. Last year, Dehradun got 124th position in Swachh Survekshan 2020 and the first position in the State. The mayor, Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ had stated at that time that the MCD would work hard this year to bring Dehradun into the top 100 cleanest cities in the country.

Recently, the field inspection of Swacch Survekshan was concluded in Dehradun by the team of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Some officials concerned have expressed their disappointment stating that the mess created by the ongoing construction works in public areas might have adversely affected the points of the city. As stated by the chief municipal health officer, Dr Kailash Joshi, the DSCL had assured that the construction work would be completed by February but the work is still underway in various parts of the city. Since the team of Swachh Survekshan judges views every aspect of sanitation in the city during the field inspection, the chances of dug up roads playing against the city’s cleanliness are strong, stated Joshi. However, he asserted that the MCD commenced door to door garbage collecting service in the new wards besides other various facilities and even received over four times of the citizen’s feedback than the last year so it is possible that the team would have possibly considered providing some relaxation as the chaos on the roads was mainly due to the construction work. Further, the mayor also stressed that the construction work under DSCL is important to the city’s development and he is optimistic that the inspection team would consider it. 

Wednesday, 24 March 2021 | PNS | Dehradun