Tirupati: The temple city of Tirupati is striving hard to bag the tag of Cleanest City in India 2017, (Swachh Sarvekshan) in the second phase. It lost out in the first round of 100 cities announced by the Union Urban Development ministry at the beginning of the year.
The Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) has already initiated several measures to make the city as cleanest according to parameters announced by the Union ministry.
The Urban Development ministry will collect the data for ranking of the cities which will be segregated into three main areas. The first one is: Interactions with the municipal body where the experienced assessors (with at least 10 years of field work) will visit municipal offices from 5 January to 15 January, 2017.
Municipalities will be assessed on various parameters and best practices followed. As a proof of record, municipalities will have to submit documentation proof.
The second one is: Direct observation where the assessors will visit 42 locations in each city across categories (planned colonies, unplanned colonies, bulk waste generator, public toilets, community toilets, bus stand, railway station, religious places, and main market areas) to grade the level of cleanliness.
Photographs of the above locations will be taken on tablets with geo-tagging facility.
The third parameter is: collecting citizen feedback. This will be solicited through in-bound calls consisting of six questions on cleanliness and availability of toilets. Citizens can also voluntarily provide information.
Total 2000 marks will be given to each city. 900 marks for Municipal Corporation data collection, 500 for direct observation, and 600 marks for citizen feedback.
Those cities which bag top marks will be categorised as Cleanest Cities of India.
According to MCT Commissioner V. Vinay Chand, the parameters for ranking of Swachh Sarvekshan includes strategy for open defecation-free town (ODF) and Integrated Solid Waste Management (SWM), Information, Education and Behaviour Change Communication (IEBC) activity, sweeping, door-to door-collection and transportation (of solid waste), processing and disposal (of solid waste, provision of public and community toilet seats, construction of household individual toilets.
“By fulfilling all these parameters our target is to get a rank among top 10 Clean Cities in the country during the second phase. We have started the ground work for ODF streamlining the door-to-door collection of garbage and transportation and safe disposal. By August 31st we will complete ODF. By December this year we will fulfil the other parameters for Swachh Sarvekshan,” he said.
