Press - Mumbai to go the Surat way

By A Staff Reporter

Afternoon Despatch & Courier, January 10, 1997

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fainlly decided to tackle the city's deteriorating cleanliness and sanitation facilities on a warfooting with high hopes of making it one of the cleanest cities of India.

As per a report published by the corporation's Solid Waste Management department with regard to Intensive Operations of Sanitation Services in Wards, a scheme of improving and maintaining the sanitation services effectively in the various wards of Mumbai, it has been concluded that in Mumbai, sanitation services suffer becuse the existing men and equipment are neither reasonably deployed nor used efficiently.  This is due to a very slack or no operation control system.  The present open end control system' (system without performance measurement and feedback for corrective action) has roved to be totally ineffective and as a result, the utilisation of resources has been around 55-60 per cent only.

The idea of intensive operations of sanitation servies in wards, implemented simultaneouslyin all wards foran extended period, preferably of more than a month or one week at random in a month for 12 months, seems to e a solution to the present shortfall in sanitary services, especially the solid waste removal service, the report said adding theat strict measures for disciplining the citizens (as practiced in Surat) were absolutely necessary to maintain the standards of cleanliness.

This scheme is basically a modified version of the 'Intensive Ward Services Operations' scheme implemented in 1988 but primarily covers sanitation services only.  The main purpose of the scheme is to streamline the performance of the sanitation services in wards  -- street sweeping, garbage removal, drain cleaning, pest contrl, health services, etc.  by the concerted efforts of all connected divisions of wards unidirectionally and jointly.  The scheme will be  closely monitored and continued periodically as a regular feature.

Coverage of services :
The entire coverage of services are classified in two categories :
Primary activities and Supporting services.
Functions covered under Primary activities include solid waste mangement, drainage maintenance, storm water drainage maintenance, pest control, health services, beautification by planting trees, etc.

Supporting services include identification of offenses under laws of sanitation and environment protection, complaints redressal on sanitation services, check of licenses of shops and establishments, health departments, license department for ensuring provision of refuse bins and other sanitary requirements, media use for educating citizens'  participation of NGOs in first month, removal of encroachment for providing access for cleaning and also related services providing vehicles and equipment for operations.

Conducting opeations: Each area has been assigned to two persons for organising and conducting the primary and supportive services.  These operation supervisors would supervise the routine work and intensify it wherever required.  Those on the job include mukadams and foremen.  One operation supervisor has also been deployed to each area for all primary activites.  Sweepers, labourers and loaders have been adequately deployed for sweeping as well as clearance of garbage, debris, drain cleaning, pest control services and health posts besides equipment and vehicles.

For the supporting services,  one operations supervisor of the level of license inspector, sanitary inspector is in charge in each area besides added manpower from shops and establishments, health and license departments.  Daily reports are to be submitted to the chief engineer, Solid Waste Management, while inspection of work will be carried out during every shift to ensure the implementation of the work.  No additional posts are to be either created or filled for these operations, the report specifies.