The state’s summer capital Srinagar has insufficient infrastructure for proper implementation of solid waste management rules, a central government team of experts found during a recent nationwide cleanliness survey.
The survey which concluded Thursday was part of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).
The 2019 survey was kick-started from January 4 in more than 4,237 cities and 62 cantonment boards of India with the aim of moving towards achieving open defecation free (ODF) status and a protocol that focuses on sustaining faecal sludge management.
The objective of the survey also is to scale up coverage of the ranking exercise and encourage towns and cities to actively implement mission initiatives in a timely and innovative manner.
The team with representative from ministry of housing and urban affairs had Danish Muhstaq as key observer.
“We found lack of dumpers at various places where waste is littered on roads. A single mechanical waste segregator is not enough. Authorities must expedite the process for starting waste to energy plant,” said one of the team members, who wished to remain anonymous.
He added that in absence of appropriate infrastructure, authorities have been able to execute important components of solid waste management rules only in half the areas of Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
“There is no complete door-to-door collection, segregation of waste at source and no bylaws for them who generate more than 100kg waste per day,” the committee member said.
The team, however, was satisfied over the efforts of SMC on daily sanitation of city and its achievement on ODF status.
More than 800 people in Srinagar had sent their feedback to SMC as their assessment on cleanliness.
In 2018 survey, Jammu and Kashmir figured at rank 21 among the 31 states and the union territories.
Within J&K, Jammu city secured highest rank of 212 among all the urban local bodies followed by Srinagar city at 284 at a national scale.
This year, union ministry of housing and urban affairs has made several changes in the survey method.
“The survey this time will carry a total of 5,000 marks as compared to Swachh Survekshan 2018 that was for 4000 marks. Moreover, this year a new section of certification has been added that holds 25 percent weightage,” said Danish Mushtaq, a key observer of union ministry in Srinagar.
He added certification is divided into two aspects, five percent weightage has been allotted to cities that have successfully achieved the ODF title and the second feature is of star-ratings, wherein cities are assessed on different parameters of waste management and collection.