Bengaluru: which remains at a shameful 194th rank in the Swachha Survekshan survey, appears to have the negative feedback received from the people on the state of its cleanlines to thank, besides its delay in getting the open defacation- free certification for its 198 wards
The city’s failure to segregate garbage at source and inefficient door- to- door collection, which has resulted in creation of blackspots, could also be to blame, according to waste management experts.
Although the city has jumped up 22 ranks in the survey, the experts feel a lot could have been done to improve its ranking further. They blame the BBMP's failure to provide enough data during the survey, the delay in getting an open defecation -free certification and its delay in calling for garbage tenders for the city’s continued poor ranking.
Said Mr Ramakanth, a solid waste management expert, who works closely with the BBMP,“The major reason for the insignificant improvement in the rankings is the lack of political will. We activists fight and get policies like a plastic ban announced and popularize concepts like garbage segregation at source. But they are hardly implemented. Take the proposal to get marshals to slap fines on litterbugs , which has still not been approved by the BBMP council.”
But a senior official jumped to the BBMP’s defence, recalling that it had joined hands with The Ugly Indians, a group of volunteers, to clear black spots in the city. “During Rajyotsava and other occasions, our pourakarmikas join officials in drawing rangolis over the blackspots to create awareness among Bengalureans. But the people, who took part in the survey, have given a negative feedback about the city, which has affected its rankings,” he said.
Reasons for the poor ranking:
- Delay in getting the Open Defacation- Free certification for 198 wards
- Negative feedback from people in the survey
- Failure of garbage segregation at source and inefficient door –to- door collection resulting in blackspots
- Delay in calling for new garbage tenders
