GVMC gears up for Swachh Survekshan 2021

After managing to achieve a decent rank in this year’s Swachh Survekshan. the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has set now sights on Swachh Survekshan 2021. Speaking at a meeting, with Additional Commissioners, Assistant Medical Officers, and Sanitary Inspectors, on Tuesday, GVMC Commissioner G Srijana directed the concerned departments to be in readiness for the upcoming survey.

The Municipal Commissioner called for steps to boost the city’s Swachhata quotient. From executing door-to-door garbage collection effectively to ensuring that no waste is left unattended, G Srijana said that the concerned departments need to take measures to maintain the city in a clean state. She further said that awareness should be created among the public regarding the importance of waste segregation.

It may be noted that in one of the earlier meetings, the GVMC Commissioner ordered that garbage has to be collected from trash bins by 10:30 AM every day. Stating that an official from the urban municipal body will monitor the activities regularly, she had directed the staff to update the attendance and movement registers.

In an earlier conversation with Yo! Vizag, GVMC Chief Medical Officer (Health) Dr KSLG Sastry shared that the authorities are currently looking to slot Vizag in the top-5 rankings of Swachh Survekshan 2021. “We are focused on waste segregation and management. The corporation has deployed vehicles and employed sufficient manpower to enable door-to-door waste collection. We are looking to intensify awareness campaigns to educate citizens regarding the segregation of dry and wet wastes,” he said.

On 13 November, the GVMC conducted Swachha Visakha Marathon, promoting the significance of cleanliness and hygiene in Vizag, ahead of Swachh Survekshan 2021. The marathon, led by the GVMC Commissioner, had people trying to sensitise the citizens to Swachhata.

In Swachh Survekshan 2020, Visakhapatnam stood as the ninth cleanest city in the country. In 2017, Visakhapatnam was recognised as India’s third cleanest city while in 2018, the rank slipped to seventh place. In 2019, the city moved to 23rd place, marking a remarkable fall in the rankings.