Rs 2cr project for cleanest urban area soon, says min

Panaji: The directorate of municipal administration (DMA) will soon institute awards of Rs 10 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 3 lakh for the cleanest municipalities, with evaluation criteria on the lines of those used by Union govt for states, said urban development minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday. He said that the municipality winning first place will get development projects worth up to Rs 2 crore as incentive, through the Goa State Urban Development Agency.He also said that safai karmacharis (sanitation workers) across urban bodies will be provided medical check-ups focused on these workers at the GMC, including whatever follow-up treatment is required based on the health test results. Rane was speaking at the official launch of the Swachhata Hi Seva 2025 campaign.He asked all municipalities to submit the list of their safai karmacharis to the DMA, so they can benefit from medical check-ups through the GMC.Rane also said that he would facilitate an interactive session for municipalities with officials of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) so the urban bodies can learn from the 16-way waste segregation success of the corporation.“Chief officers need to learn about waste segregation. We do not need to get any experts from outside Goa. We can have our CCP commissioner himself explain how they carry out waste segregation. They are doing 16-way waste segregation, which they want to take up to 30-way segregation. Valpoi, Bicholim, Pernem, and other municipalities need such guidance. An interactive conclave is needed between the CCP and other municipalities. Imagine if you cannot see any garbage strewn around,” said Rane.He said municipalities should be able to maintain the swachhata campaign without any monitoring from central officials.“I have seen central govt officials coming and quietly observing the manner in which the Swachhata Abhiyan is being implemented. But do we require this presence or can we implement it on our own? When Swachhata Abhiyan was implemented, people laughed at those cleaning with a broom in hand. They did not know the extent of success it would reach. It has become a case study now. Every chief officer and councillor will have to carry out the monitoring from now on,” said Rane.He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign for cleanliness has ensured dignity of labour for safai karmacharis.