The State Government is going to draft work-plan next year for Valmiki Awas scheme to provide housing for the poor, said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat at the programme organised in the Town Hall to felicitate Paryavaran Mitra (sanitation workers) here on Thursday.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the CM said that it is public’s collective and personal responsibility of citizens to keep the environment clean. Paryavaran Mitra play a key role in making cities worth living and without their support, all facilities and arrangement will fall flat.
Rawat announced that the `3,000 being provided monthly to local sanitation committees will be increased to `4,000. A structure for urban development is being prepared while the posts of Paryavaran Mitra are also being increased by about 50 per cent.
Stating that it is apt for the state and the country to term sanitation workers as Paryavaran Mitra, the CM said that a scheme must be prepared to provide medical aid to the municipal Paryavaran Mitra. “With urbanisation taking place in the State at a fast pace, it is important to see this from a new perspective.
The State Government considers urban local bodies as development partners. The Central Government, instead of focusing on creating smart cities must help the State in improving the present condition of the cities,” said Rawat while stating that at present the UlBs are not financially strong.
He also stressed on the need for UlBs to take effective action against encroachments on their lands. The State Urban Development Minister Pritam Singh Panwar appreciated the role of Paryavaran Mitra. Stating that there should be no politics on development, he stressed on the need for ensuring transparency in all works.
He also said that officials should ensure prevention of encroachment on government lands. The Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli, State Slum Settlement Development Committee chairman and MlA Rajkumar and various officials were also among those present on the occasion.