Sir,
This refers to the article “What is Smart in Smart Cities” by Karanvir Gupta (DE 22.11.2017). Jammu or Srinagar city cannot be smart cities unless there is scientific waste management in place as per the solid waste rules of 2016. During swachh survekshan 2017 Jammu ranked 251 and Srinagar ranked 241. What efforts have authorities taken to ensure Jammu and Srinagar get better ranks in the new 2018 swachh survey ? We do not have scientific landfill sites neither in Jammu nor in Srinagar. We do not lift garbage from household level in a segregated manner ? We do not have double shift for cleaning our roads and streets.
Pollution Control Board is not at all taking steps to ensure implementation of solid waste rules 2016. Unless Jammu Municipal Corporation and Srinagar Municipal Corporation involves public in swachta abhiyan (sanitation drive ) i don’t think we can be successful in making Jammu or Srinagar smart cities. Waste generated from residential and commercial areas should be lifted in specially designed vehicles which we do not have in Jammu or Srinagar cities. Useless garbage collection vehicles have been purchased by JMC and SMC in past and one cannot even put a dustbin inside these vehicles as their height is not less than 6 feet. JMC and SMC must without any fail start door to door garbage collection in a segregated manner and then the bio degradable part (wet waste) should be processed.
This can only be done by outsourcing the whole work to some waste management company or NGO doing this kind of work. Government cannot do everything of its own. Cities which have got better ranks in 2017 Survey too have involved expert NGO and social enterprises in the waste management work and public awareness , but in J&K Government wants to do everything of its own and that is why we finally fail.
Yours etc….
Dr Fozia Kouser
Environmental
Science expert
Srinagar
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