BBMP takes steps to ensure better ranking in cleanliness survey

Having fallen to the 210th position in the Swachh Sarvekshan-2017 (cleanliness survey-2017), the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to strive to ensure the city figures in the top 10 slot in the survey next year.

The Quality Council of India this year assessed 434 cities and towns across India and declared Indore as the cleanest city while Bengaluru was 210th in the ranking. In this regard, BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad held a review meeting last week, said sources in the BBMP. The Palike has decided to put an end to the scourge of open defecation across the city in one year.

There were 600 points alloted for open defecation prevention and Bengaluru lost all the points. Only 68 out of 198 wards had submitted proposals to end open defecation that met QCI standards. The other wards did not present any proposal. The proposal attested by the corporator should have the signature of students of at least five to six schools in the ward.

Prasad had given directions to his subordinates to ensure that each ward has its proposal in order by next year. Officials attending the meeting told the commissioner that construction workers who migrate to the city from other places are a major challenge in overcoming the problem of open defecation. These workers were held responsible for open defecation, they said.

BBMP joint commissioner (health) Safaraz Khan said, “We will make sure that there are toilets for construction labourers at construction sites.” He added that the Palike has decided to construct around 36,000 toilets across the city. Further, the BBMP has decided to improve its solid waste management. He said at the time of the survey, scientific waste processing units were not functional and there was huge pile-up of refuse derived fuel.

The bills put up illegally on public walls and other places too contributed to the poor ranking in the Swachh Sarvekshan.