Even as the sanitation situation in the state capital continues to remain grim, municipal officials in Indore showered flowers on sanitation workers on Wednesday in recognition of their efforts to ensure the city retains the top position in the upcoming sanitation survey.
The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) felicitation programme was attended by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav and a host of civic officials.
Meanwhile, in Bhopal, the city’s sanitation efforts continue to make headlines for reasons pointing towards a demotivated sanitation workforce, often accused of negligence and corrupt practices.
Despite months of inspections by Municipal Commissioner Harendra Narayan, garbage-vulnerable points are visible at several locations in the state capital, especially in the crowded old city areas.
In November, a mammoth garbage dump was discovered by Govindpura Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ravish Shrivastav at a now-dried-up pond not far from the defunct Union Carbide factory premises.
The SDM led a waste removal operation in the area, which required the deployment of a JCB excavator to clear the garbage, which locals claimed had been dumped by municipal workers.
Narayan himself has often found waste dumps in back lanes, behind buildings, and on vacant plots during his inspections. He has also issued warnings and backed them up with stern action on several occasions, but the situation has remained largely unchanged.
With the sanitation survey looming, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now stepped up efforts to curb the use of single-use plastics and violations of environmental benchmarks by under-construction projects in the state capital.
While there is no denying the efforts of Narayan and even Mayor Malti Rai, the chances of a good showing in the sanitation survey this year are rather slim, as BMC officials in charge of the critical health department have failed to motivate sanitation workers to put up a challenge against Indore.
If scenes of jubilation at the felicitation event in Indore are anything to go by, the city seems set to walk away with the tag for cleanest city in the country once again.