Unattended garbage heaps eyesore for Panchkula residents

Amit Bathla

Panchkula, February 7

Though the Panchkula Municipal Corporation recently launched a cleanliness campaign, “Mera Panchkula-Meri Pehchan”, to improve its rankings in the Swachh Survekshan-2022, heaps of garbage can be seen lying unattended in several parts of the city.

Heaps of garbage along roadsides and vacant plots and overflowing dustbins are a common sight here. For instance, a green dumpster placed near the Government College for Women in Sector 14 here is often found overflowing with domestic waste, forcing people to throw garbage around the already overflowing bin.

SK Nayar, president of the Citizens’ Welfare Association, said: “The civic body only makes tall claims to improve city’s overall cleanliness, but does nothing to change the ground reality.”

Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said: “With citizens’ participation, we will definitely improve our rankings in the Swachh Survekshan-2022. Parameters on which we lost points in the previous survey are specifically being targeted so that our ranking improves.”

Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal, along with all 20 councillors, launched the cleanliness campaign On Saturday. It aims at segregating liquid and solid waste, encouraging home composting, ensuring a ban on single-use plastic and improving the city’s rankings in the cleanliness survey.

To ensure cleanliness in every ward and not just selective areas, another campaign, “Mera Ward-Meri Pehchan”, was launched on Sunday.

The MC had faced a debacle after its ranking fell in the Swachh Survekshan-2021. Thereafter, the MC had announced to take redressal measures to bag a spot among the cleanest cities across the country next year.

The issue of inadequate garbage bins in various wards marred the recent meeting between the Mayor and councillors from all parties, suggesting that a lot needs to be done to make Panchkula actually a clean city.