Ishtiyaq Ahmad
ET Report
Srinagar, Apr 18: Government has taken a serious note over lackadaisical approach of officials and has directed them to fix the responsibility for poor sanitation in the state.
Even though the Government of India has launched various centrally sponsored schemes, its efforts to improve sanitation in the State have fallen flat. Now Government has asked officials to fix responsibility for poor disposal of solid waste.
"It is impressed upon the divisional commissioners to take more responsibility for overall leadership coordination and ensuring effective maintained of sanitation and cleanliness in the divisions and daily reports are obtained from the concerned authorities," the directives written by the government to various departments.
J&K is ranked third in worst sanitation in India after Odissa and Bihar according to the Baseline Survey 2012 of the Union ministry of drinking and sanitation.
Sources said government has expressed concern over the obtaining status of sanitation management in key urban locations and called for taking up wide ranging initiatives to systematically implement the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan across the State and to focus on cleanliness of government offices, public places and tourist points.
It has also directed concerned authorities for submitting of daily reports about collection and disposal of solid wastes.
Sources said authorities recently took a serious note of lapses over the collection and removal of garbage on the road sides of capital cities, tourist spots and other important places, which reflects upon poor management of solid waste and sanitation in the State. Following which, the government issued directions where it has impressed upon divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, commissioners of municipal corporations, projects directors of ERA to give clear instructions to the working staff under their control and responsible for maintenance of sanitation and cleanliness in all offices, towns, cities so that "no such occur lapses in future".
In the absence of adequate sanitation facilities, the populace especially in rural J&K falls prey to various dreadful diseases.
The city hospitals as per the doctors admit a huge chunk of people who complain gastroenteritis, Hepatitis and Cholera, diseases related to sanitation.
In J&K, 6,351 schools lack toilets for girls and 8,098 lack toilets for boys, according to data from the state's Unified District Information System for Education (DISE Survey 2014-15). More than 71% of schools have no basins or taps to wash hands near toilets and urinals. "We are working to ensure there is proposal disposal of solid waste in the State. Various schemes have also been launched and by end of 2016, there will be a huge improvement in sanitation in towns," a senior official of Housing and Urban Development Department. |
