Srinagar, May 19: A few days after the survey report released by the Union Urban Development Ministry claimed that Srinagar was the fourth dirtiest City in India, officials of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Wednesday described report as “exaggerated.” 
 “Our men lift around 450 metric tons of garbage everyday from the City which is spread over 330 square kilo-metres,” a top SMC official told Greater Kashmir.     
 Srinagar City, according to the officials, is divided into 34 administrative wards. “According to the Supreme Court guidelines SMC needs 6000 sweepers to clean the City but we have got only 2000 of them on rolls,” officials added.
 “Despite all the odds, including frequent strikes and inclement weather conditions, we leave no stone unturned to keep Srinagar clean,” they claimed.
 Terming the recent survey report of the Union Ministry as “exaggerated” officials said, “It seems the team has submitted the figures in a jiffy. Rather than visiting selected places the team should have toured the entire city. Had they done so, their report would not have been so biased.”
 The SMC officials said that they were aware of the fact that lakhs of tourists visit Srinagar every year. “We are aware about our duties,” they said.
 The SMC insiders said that survey report has generated a debate in the Corporation and more steps are being taken to strengthen it.
 “If all goes well the SMC is planning to purchase latest equipments to ensure cleanliness,” they added. 
 One of the officials questioned why was the survey report released just ahead of tourist season in Kashmir.
 “The impression is being created that Srinagar is not worth paying a visit,” he added.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 19 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 19 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 May 2010 00:00:00 IST