While sounding upset over the report of Swachchhta Sarvekshan-2017 where Dehradun ranked 316 out of 434 Indian cities regarding the level of sanitation, Uttarakhand Urban Development Minister and State Government spokesperson Madan Kaushik assured on Saturday that he would see to it that things undergo a sea change for the better in just one month.
“Despite Swachchhta Abhiyan being launched across the State with full vigour, there are still shortcomings which we must set right in the coming days. The report showing dismal sanitation facilities in many of the cities of the State, we have taken it as a challenge. Soon, we would launch sanitation and beautification drive in Dehradun and from here, things would be taken to other parts of the State,” he said.
Notably, the Swachchhta Sarvekshan report is alarming for the State as Dehradun and Nainital, the cities which receive tourists all round the year, have ranked 316 and 330 respectively. While standing at 218 in the list, Roorkee is the best ranked city of Uttarakhand.
The Swachchh Sarvekshan 2017, commissioned by the Union Ministry of Urban Development in January-February 2017, included six cities/towns based in Uttarakhand. Out of 434 cities checked in the survey, the towns of Uttarakhand fared poorly with none making it even to the top 200 cities. Roorkee was ranked 218, Haridwar 244, Kashipur 256, Dehradun 316, Nainital 330 and Haldwani-Kathgodam 395.
According to the government officials, the national survey this year was aimed at assessing the sanitation scenario against the backdrop of the Centre stressing on making as many cities and towns open defecation free (ODF) and also on improved treatment of the municipal solid waste. It is learnt that the criteria and weightages for different components of sanitation related aspects used for the survey included solid waste management, including door-to-door collection, processing and disposal, ODF status, citizen feedback and independent observation.
The Quality Council of India which conducted the survey deployed 421 assessors for on- the- spot assessment of 17,500 locations spread over 434 cities and towns.
Notably, Dehradun continues to figure poorly in the matter of sanitation facilities. Earlier, the national survey conducted in 2016 involving 73 Indian cities showed Dehradun ranking 61 for its level of sanitation. Dehradun had been categorized among ‘slow movers’ in the survey conducted last year. The ranking achieved this year means that the city has seen no substantial improvement in level of civic sanitation over the space of one year.