MADURAI

Experts from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs explained that Swachh Survekshan 2019 would focus on sustainability of existing cleanliness measures, at a special regional-level capacity building workshop here on Tuesday.

The event highlighting the changes in the new Survekshan cycle saw the participation of at least 200 officers from Dindigul, Tiruchi and Madurai.

Faustina Gomez, Programme Management Unit, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), explained that certifications such as Open Defecation Free(ODF) + and ODF ++ would help civic bodies constantly strive for better standards of living.

She added that star ratings for garbage-free cities would augment the total score which had increased from 4,000 marks to 5,000 in 2019. All cities in India would take part this time.

She also said that much of the survey’s scores would be assessed based on citizen participation.

“This year, feedback and Swachhata App downloads will not ascertain citizen feedback. Their contribution towards a cleaner environment will be the key,” she said, adding that the last leg of the Swachh Bharat Mission would focus on standardising the already existing best practises and digitisation.

Documents on Survekshan would have to be necessarily uploaded by each Corporation by the fifth of every month, she said.

Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar said that poor documentation was a major cause of the dip in Swachh Survekshan rankings in 2018.

“Great weightage is given for presentation and documentation. Steps must be taken towards meeting the said deadlines,” he said. He said that the Corporation is working towards coming up with innovative and creative means towards achieving a cleaner city.

While speaking on three key points — solid waste management, open defecation and littering — the Commissioner said that it was important to engage citizens and prove to them the palpable benefits.

He added that with an efficient execution of by-laws, the civic body can easily transform the city.

“Corporation officials must take the steps to ensure that citizens are aware of the wealth that can be derived from waste. By effectively making sure that there is decentralised waste management, the civic body’s budget allocation for this area would significantly reduce,” he said.

S. Saktheeswaran, another expert from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, elaborated on aspects of solid waste management, including door-to-door collection, composting and use of transportation.

Dindigul Corporation Health Officer M. Anitha who was present at the event said that the workshop would be a great preparatory element and would help bring the competition into a perspective.