More than a year after the number of wards under Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) was increased from 60 to 100, the corporation is not yet able to facilitate even basic sanitation works in the new wards. The MCD officials state that the sanitation works in the new wards will begin after the state government approves the proposal door to door collection of garbage under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and for appointment of more sanitation workers.
Citing the reason of the delay, the Dehradun municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said, “We are waiting for the state government’s approval for the door to door garbage collection in PPP mode in the new wards. As soon as the government approves, the sanitation works will be started by MCD in all the 40 new wards.”
About the allegations of the members of Samajik Samrasta Manch (SSM) of insufficient sanitation workers in the city, Pandey said, “MCD has to seek approval from the government for the appointment of new sanitation workers. We have proposed the appointment of 600 sanitation workers to the state government and the work will begin soon after the authorisation.”
The issue of sanitation in new wards was one of the important issues of the councillors of new wards in the last board meeting in which Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ assured the councillors that the sanitation works will be commenced soon in every ward. However, nothing has been initiated by MCD so far for the sanitation works in the new wards is concerned.