ET BureauPawan Chamling, chief minister of Sikkim for the last 22 years, on what it will take for Swachh Bharat to work. Edited excerpts from an interview with Shantanu Nandan Sharma in Gangtok
Much before Swachh Bharat campaign, Sikkim has had a cleanliness campaign for over a decade now. How and when did you start it?
Pawan Chamling: I started the Swachh Sikkim campaign in 2003 and it has been a continuous process since then. Back in 2008, each household in Sikkim had a sanitary latrine. We had an awareness campaign saying if you keep your house clean, your village will be clean and if your village is clean your state will be clean. And if every state is clean, India will be clean. When I see this Swachh Bharat campaign in such a big way across the country, I feel vindicated. Yes, I did something right back in 2003.
How important were the punitive measures against littering in helping Sikkim emerge as a clean state?
Pawan Chamling: Sikkim was the first state in India to ban non-degradable items such as plastic. And, to make it enforceable, we introduced a law in the assembly under which there were provisions of fines up to Rs 5,000 for those using plastic and such items. Also, if anyone litters a place, the Act has provision of a fine. Once we began implementing those strictly, people became cautious. Now, no locals indulge in any such activities. Over the years, the number of people fined has come down. As Sikkim has become the cleanest state in India, our model is tried and tested. My appeal to all states is to just follow the Sikkim model — awareness for cleanliness, fines and strict enforcement — and make India Swachh.
But can you sustain this model by using fines as a deterrent?
Pawan Chamling: Now, people in Sikkim are environmentally very conscious. Every person has understood the true value of environment and cleanliness. I am confident that people themselves will carry forward this movement from now on.
Your party, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), is an NDA ally. But you have started receiving less Central funds now than what you used to receive during the UPA regime. Have you taken this up with the prime minister?
Pawan Chamling: Yes, we are now receiving about Rs 2,000 crore less every year. But that is due to the wrong formula used by the 14th Finance Commission. I don’t want to say anything more on this.
But the 14th Finance Commission report was recommendatory in nature. It was not binding upon the Centre — your own ally— to accept it as it was. Are you hoping that the Centre will compensate you in some way?
Pawan Chamling: Sikkim is a victim of wrong analysis and interpretation of the 14th Finance Commission. We worked harder and progressed well, but instead of rewarding us, we were penalised. Sikkim was the best performing state in the Northeast. But what reward did we get? Curtailment of the Central fund that we were already receiving. We have explained everything to the Central government in writing. The ball is in the Centre’s court.
Will the fund crunch impact programmes like cleanliness, infrastructure building and those schemes targeted for BPL (below poverty line) families?
Pawan Chamling: About 8% of our population are still living below poverty line. My idea is to make Sikkim the first BPL-free state in India by 2019-20. And by 2018, Sikkim will be the first state to have only pucca houses. Also, our literacy rate is about 90% now. We are working hard to reach 100% in the next two years. All these will continue despite financial hurdles, but the shortage of funds will definitely have an impact on building infrastructure.
Roads in Sikkim are in bad shape. If there is a shortage of funds, won’t it deteriorate further?
Pawan Chamling: For the road sector in the entire state, my requirement is about Rs 10,000 crore. If we have that amount, our roads will be like those in a first-world country. In Sikkim, the total length of roads is about 5,000 km. But I don’t have money to make all those metal roads.
Sikkim is still one of the very few states in India (along with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya) where there is no airport. Why has there been a delay in getting the Pakyong airport (on the outskirts of Gangtok) ready?
Pawan Chamling: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) should answer this question. Our job was to hand over the land, which we did. Building and operating the airport is the job of the AAI. The delay is because of them. We are told the airport will be ready by 2017.
You have been the chief minister of the state since 1994, and will break former West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu’s record as the longestserving CM in 2018. Will you continue contesting elections, or is there a plan to retire once this term ends?
Pawan Chamling: First, there is still some time left to break the record that you have mentioned (laughs). When I joined politics, I never even dreamt of becoming the state’s CM for over two decades. See, the SDF is a regional party. I have not merged it with any bigger party. I have no desire to play any role in central politics. I have no plan to retire either. There is a lot more to do in Sikkim. If Sikkim becomes an example for other states, that itself will be my service to the nation.
Much before Swachh Bharat campaign, Sikkim has had a cleanliness campaign for over a decade now. How and when did you start it?
Pawan Chamling: I started the Swachh Sikkim campaign in 2003 and it has been a continuous process since then. Back in 2008, each household in Sikkim had a sanitary latrine. We had an awareness campaign saying if you keep your house clean, your village will be clean and if your village is clean your state will be clean. And if every state is clean, India will be clean. When I see this Swachh Bharat campaign in such a big way across the country, I feel vindicated. Yes, I did something right back in 2003.
How important were the punitive measures against littering in helping Sikkim emerge as a clean state?
Pawan Chamling: Sikkim was the first state in India to ban non-degradable items such as plastic. And, to make it enforceable, we introduced a law in the assembly under which there were provisions of fines up to Rs 5,000 for those using plastic and such items. Also, if anyone litters a place, the Act has provision of a fine. Once we began implementing those strictly, people became cautious. Now, no locals indulge in any such activities. Over the years, the number of people fined has come down. As Sikkim has become the cleanest state in India, our model is tried and tested. My appeal to all states is to just follow the Sikkim model — awareness for cleanliness, fines and strict enforcement — and make India Swachh.
But can you sustain this model by using fines as a deterrent?
Pawan Chamling: Now, people in Sikkim are environmentally very conscious. Every person has understood the true value of environment and cleanliness. I am confident that people themselves will carry forward this movement from now on.
Your party, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), is an NDA ally. But you have started receiving less Central funds now than what you used to receive during the UPA regime. Have you taken this up with the prime minister?
Pawan Chamling: Yes, we are now receiving about Rs 2,000 crore less every year. But that is due to the wrong formula used by the 14th Finance Commission. I don’t want to say anything more on this.
But the 14th Finance Commission report was recommendatory in nature. It was not binding upon the Centre — your own ally— to accept it as it was. Are you hoping that the Centre will compensate you in some way?
Pawan Chamling: Sikkim is a victim of wrong analysis and interpretation of the 14th Finance Commission. We worked harder and progressed well, but instead of rewarding us, we were penalised. Sikkim was the best performing state in the Northeast. But what reward did we get? Curtailment of the Central fund that we were already receiving. We have explained everything to the Central government in writing. The ball is in the Centre’s court.
Will the fund crunch impact programmes like cleanliness, infrastructure building and those schemes targeted for BPL (below poverty line) families?
Pawan Chamling: About 8% of our population are still living below poverty line. My idea is to make Sikkim the first BPL-free state in India by 2019-20. And by 2018, Sikkim will be the first state to have only pucca houses. Also, our literacy rate is about 90% now. We are working hard to reach 100% in the next two years. All these will continue despite financial hurdles, but the shortage of funds will definitely have an impact on building infrastructure.
Roads in Sikkim are in bad shape. If there is a shortage of funds, won’t it deteriorate further?
Pawan Chamling: For the road sector in the entire state, my requirement is about Rs 10,000 crore. If we have that amount, our roads will be like those in a first-world country. In Sikkim, the total length of roads is about 5,000 km. But I don’t have money to make all those metal roads.
Sikkim is still one of the very few states in India (along with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya) where there is no airport. Why has there been a delay in getting the Pakyong airport (on the outskirts of Gangtok) ready?
Pawan Chamling: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) should answer this question. Our job was to hand over the land, which we did. Building and operating the airport is the job of the AAI. The delay is because of them. We are told the airport will be ready by 2017.
You have been the chief minister of the state since 1994, and will break former West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu’s record as the longestserving CM in 2018. Will you continue contesting elections, or is there a plan to retire once this term ends?
Pawan Chamling: First, there is still some time left to break the record that you have mentioned (laughs). When I joined politics, I never even dreamt of becoming the state’s CM for over two decades. See, the SDF is a regional party. I have not merged it with any bigger party. I have no desire to play any role in central politics. I have no plan to retire either. There is a lot more to do in Sikkim. If Sikkim becomes an example for other states, that itself will be my service to the nation.
( Originally published on Sep 25, 2016 )
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