Swachh survey keeps GHMC on its toes

Hyderabad: If a particular locality in the city suddenly appears spruced up surprising residents of that area, it is not necessarily because the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) woke up from deep slumber ahead of the GHMC elections.
The unexpected popping up of clean neighbourhoods has more to do with a sudden `Swachh Bharat' survey by the Union ministry of urban development two days ago in the city .Hyderabad is one among the 75 cities in the country being evaluated for Swachh Bharat rankings.
It may be recalled that last year, after having spent Rs 100 crore on a week-long Swachh Hyderabad campaign that saw the chief minister, governor and top bureaucrats and others taking to the city streets in a bid to clean it up, the government was shocked to receive a ranking of 275 among 476 cities in the campaign.
Clearly determined not to get a dismal rating the second time, the GHMC has put the staff of its health and sanitation wing on a high alert with instructions to keep the city `more clean', at least during the three days of the central teams' survey that began in the city on Monday . Three teams, deputed by the urban development ministry , have been going around the city , giving little notice to the GHMC as to where they plan to visit. The survey ends on Wednesday .
This latest survey is being conducted by the Quality Council of India for the central government to review the sanitation and hygiene in 75 major cities in the country including 53 cities that have more than 10 lakh population. The Centre launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in October 2014.
The Swachh teams have so far visited Jawaharnagar dump yard, the Imliban and Kukatpally garbage transfer stations, Hitec city area, Gachibowli, Chandagarnagar, Lingampally , Nampally railway station, Charlpally, Nacharam, Kothapet, Dilsukhnagar, Afzalgunj and Mahatma Gandhi bus station. They also visited Qutubullapur, Alwal, Neredmet, Ramngar, Himayatnagar, Mushe erabad, Khairtabad and Jawaharnagar (slum) in Banjara Hills.The teams will visit some more colonies on Wednesday .
“As part of the survey and visit, each teams visit a residential colony , a main road, a slum, a market, a public toilet, community toilets, bulk garbage generation points (hotels), a bus station, railway station and other areas. The teams also visit waste disposal areas, transfer stations and other solid waste management processes taken up by the urban local bodies. Of the total 2,000 points, the teams will give points to each category ,“ a senior GHMC official who has been assisting the teams with local transport said. The official admitted that as the areas to be inspected are chosen by the teams a couple of hours before the visit, all the officials have been put on the alert. For the convenience of the teams, GHMC officials have been deputed to help to take them to the locations, the official said.
“Our aim is to have Hyderabad achieve a rank in the top 10 in sanitation in the Swachh Bharath survey . The health and sanitation wing of the GHMC has been striving hard to improve the sanitation by introducing innovative methods and disposal of the solid waste,“ GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) N Ravi Kiran told TOI.
The state municipal administration department is also keeping an eye on the on-going inspections as last year's Swachh Bharath rankings dented the image of Hyderabad and chief minster K Chandrasekhar Rao openly expressing his unhappiness over the rankings. The poor standing the city received is also said to be one of the reasons that led to removing Somesh Kumar as the GHMC commissioner.