Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat
An RTI reply from Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) revealed some astonishing facts recently. The SMC ‘s Secretary who is also the designated Public Information Officer (PIO) under J&K RTI Act 2009 told an information seeker that SMC got no funds under Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM) . The information seeker who is a known RTI campaigner of Srinagar wanted to know how SBM funds were utilized in Srinagar city , but the negative reply he got from SMC , made him completely upset .
The Government of India on one hand claims of providing enormous funds to states for ensuring better sanitation under the one year old national flagship programme Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM), but the Srinagar Municipal Corporation’s reply has created lots of doubts about this scheme.
Building toilets was one of the major promises Prime Minister Narendra Modi made during his speech from the Red Fort in his first Independence Day address last year. The government has since moved with alacrity, claiming to have constructed around 80 lakh toilets across India under Modi’s ambitious Swachh Bharat mission , if SMC got no funds under Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM) , it means that not a single toilet has been constructed in Srinagar city.
Dr Mushtaq who is working on environmental issues with special focus on Dal Lake wanted to know about the works being executed by SMC. It was a shocking news not only for Mushtaq but for people in general that not a single penny has been provided to SMC under SBM. The blame can’t be put on Govt of India, because in many such cases the state Governments also fail to submit the proposals before the central Ministries within prescribed time and this has happened in many cases in the past . That may be the case with SMC also. Our Government organizations must hire experts in proposal writing as we lack such professionals in our Government run institutions.
Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM) might be changing lives of people in different states of India, but for the residents of Srinagar and Jammu cities this countrywide mega sanitation campaign has hardly made any impact. The garbage which gets accumulated in Dal Lake is hardly collected on daily basis by the municipal authorities or even by Lakes & Water Ways Development Authority (LAWWDA) with the result all the non biodegradable waste which includes plastic material and polythene gets accumulated inside the Dal lake. We hardly find any scientific mechanism of garbage collection from various localities inside Dal lake. I had an interaction with some residents inside Dal Lake at Kand Mohalla , Kan Kachi , Sofi Mohalla , Abi Karpora few days back , they informed me that authorities do not undertake door to door collection of garbage.
Last week BASIX a Hyderbad based Social Enterprise Group organized a three day environmental awareness campaign at Vishwa Bharti women’s college Rainawari Srinagar in association with J&K RTI Movement. Students hailing from interiors parts of Dal Lake also participated in this campaign which included painting competition and a debate on how to save Dal Lake ? On third day almost 35 students were taken inside Dal Lake in several boats, I was also accompanying them along with college teachers . The journey started from Jogi Lankar Rainawari which is located just adjacent to the Vishwa Bharti College . Boats went through filthiest parts of the lake and at Nehru Park students were received by PRO of Lakes & Water Ways Development Authority (LAAWDA) . Students posed volley of questions to the PRO and from Nehru Park students were taken to Char Chinari Island in motorized boats of Lakes & Water Ways Development Authority (LAWWDA). During this journey students hailing from Dal Lake discussed their emotional tales and said authorities only blame them for destroying Dal Lake. ” We also want to live a dignified life , we do not want to through trash inside Dal Lake , but what alternative methods we have been provided by SMC or Lakes Authority ? Not a single boat comes and collects the garbage from our house boats / residential houses, what shall we do ?” said Nazia (name changed) a student of B A Final year Vishwa Bharti Women’s College . Had Government created a mechanism to undertake door to door collection of garbage with proper segregation , things would have been different today she added.
Conclusion :
I am optimistic that Srinagar city including Dal Lake can be fully restored provided Government joins hands with public and makes them stakeholders in this whole process. Funds provided under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) have to be properly utilized by civic bodies and used for door to door collection of garbage. I would suggest Urban Development Ministry of J&K Government to allocate funds under SBM for Dal Lake which would be specially meant for Solid Waste Management (SWM) and door to door garbage collection. I am sure after few years we can see a visible change in the Dal Lake.
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