The Governor’s initiative for involving prominent enterprises in efforts towards achieving the desired level of civic sanitation comes shortly after Dehradun was ranked 26 among the 29 State capitals in a national survey on the level of sanitation and other civic facilities. The survey conducted as part of Swachh Bharat mission had also placed Dehradun at the 360th position among 476 cities surveyed across the nation for sanitation and other aspects.
When it comes to maintenance of civic sanitation in the State capital, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun has been struggling for years to achieve the desired level. The Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli has stated repeatedly that the MCD is doing the best it can with its limited resources and lack of cooperation from the State Government. He points out that the State Government is yet to give the final clearance for the solid waste management treatment plant to be constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) though the MCD has initiated tenders for the task through the directorate on receiving the State’s approval in principle.
Despite raising issues like the staff and resource shortage in the MCD with the Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister, the Mayor says that little has been done.