Srinagar: Expressing happiness that an Indian magazine has described Srinagar city among the top ten cleanest cities of India, National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar Monday said this was among the top achievements of Omar Abdullah led government.
Sagar was addressing delegations at his residence hailing from Pattan, Homshalibugh and Budgam.
Describing it as a major development he said, Putting the Srinagar city on the ninth number among the ten cleanest citifies of India is a great achievement for the Omar Abdullah led government, which speaks loud and clear about his commitment made to the people of the state.
People cant forget that during the mufti led coalition government, Srinagar city was awarded as one of the dirtiest cities in the country. Unfortunately after the September floods, mounds of garbage and dirt had engulfed the Srinagar city, but due to the great efforts of the administration, municipality, NGOs and police department, the glory of the Srinagar was restored within few months only, he said adding For this, all these concerned departments deserve an appreciation.
Srinagar city, the capital of once paradise on earth has the ignominious distinction of being one of the dirtiest cities in India, according to sanitation ratings by none other than the Union Urban Development Ministry.
The picturesque city of lakes, gardens and hills, founded by King Pravarasena II around 10 BC, scored a mere 17.17 on a scale of 100 in the National Rating and Award Scheme for Sanitation for Indian Cities by the union ministry in its last survey.
At 420, Srinagar was just ahead of Pilibhit and Lakhimpur in Uttar Pradesh and Churu in Rajasthan.
There is a widespread concern in the Kashmir Valley that the city famed for its numerous water bodies was fast dying due to government neglect.
The rating of cities with regard to their performance in sanitation improvements is based on a set of objective indicators of outputs, processes and outcomes. The award is based on the premise that improved public health and environmental standards are the two outcomes that cities must seek to ensure for urban citizens.
Improved sanitation can ensure improved public health and environmental outcomes, only if considerable changes in behaviour and practice take place across the spectrum of the society.
Ranking of Srinagar as the fourth dirtiest city in India a couple of years back did not surprise city dwellers but the ranking it as one of the cleanest cities certainly did.
We have indeed become used to dusty and littered streets. While the amount of waste is increasing by the day, the authorities are yet to employ modern means of waste disposal and management. It looks very unlikely to have clean streets in near future. Garbage dumps have also served as breeding grounds for stray dogs and their population has increased manifold over the years adding to the unhygienic look of the city, said Muhammad Amin Bhat a Safa Kadal resident.
The city remains beset with plethora of civic problems. Roads inundated with potholes, overflowing drains, non-functional street lights, long and frequent traffic jams, heaps of unattended garbage, packs of stray dogs, footpaths and roadsides encroached by vendors and bunkers the list is endless. All these issues deprive the city of its aesthetic charm. The government has failed to address all these issues despite announcing funds for various developmental projects from time to time.
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