Urban Development Minister CP Singh has said that the urban local bodies should focus more on picking up the garbage than collecting taxes from the people.
Singh, while speaking during a workshop on the topic “Capacity Building of Urban local Bodies for Swachh Bharat Mission” at Project Building here, also expressed concern over the building materials spread over roads all over the State and directed municipal bodies to form special teams to deal with it, besides creating awareness among people in this regard. “Urban bodies do not have the moral right to collect user charge till they start picking up the garbage on daily basis. Rather than collecting taxes, their priority should be on collecting garbage from the localities,” said Singh. Building materials spread on the road side has become a major problem in all cities for which measures must be taken by the urban local bodies by creating special teams to remove them besides, creating awareness among the people in this regard, he added. Congratulating officials for Jharkhand declared number 1 in urban cleanliness, Singh said that much more need to be done in the field of cleanliness for which one has to change one’s attitude and also appeal others to cooperate for the same.
“Initiatives taken during the last four years have definitely made people aware that now they have started thinking about cleanliness in their surroundings….. we will continue the awareness programme so that no place is left for forcing people to keep their areas clean,” said Singh. He was also of the view that the agencies collecting municipal taxes for providing various services to the households should be given commission only if their employees collect taxes by visiting the households door to door, he added. “If people go and pay their taxes at banks and on the municipal counters, then the company should not be paid any commission,” the minister said. Singh said that the Government had been making efforts to fill up the vacant posts in the department.
Expressing his views during the workshop, Director of Clean India Mission Rajesh Sharma suggested the officials to get ready for star rating of cities and told them that the competition has become tougher as the State has reached at a better position in the field of cleanliness. “To maintain the position, we will have to work harder.
“We must ensure cleanliness around us so that no dirt could be spotted anywhere in the city,” said Kumar. Cities will be given 1-7 rating for which they will have to take care of certain things, he added.
Sharma said that inter-personal relationship must be enhanced with the people to bring changes in their behaviour and the hawkers should also be made aware for not spreading dirt around them on roads. During the programme, open defecation free urban local bodies were also felicitated by Quality Council of India.
