Taking a leap in Swachh Survekshan 2021, Vizag has achieved the certification of open defecation free ++ (ODF) city. On Friday, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, has announced that the city has achieved the coveted status.
Speaking to Yo!, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Chief Medical Officer (CMO) (Health), Dr KSLG Sastry, informed that the Central team had visited the city to review the infrastructure. Sharing further details, he said, “The officials had inspected the public toilets across the city. They had also interacted with the public regarding the usage of toilets. Based on the scores awarded by the team, Vizag has been certified as open defecation free ++ (ODF) city this year too.” Appreciating the efforts of the sanitation staff, the GVMC CMO also thanked the citizens for their cooperation. Noting that the latest achievement will help the city to improve its ranking in Swachh Survekshan 2021, he said that the Corporation is taking several steps to bag the top honours.
Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey undertaken by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to study the cleanliness and sanitation of various cities and towns in India. The Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will be evaluated by the central team for six thousand marks. While 1,100 marks are allotted for Garbage Free City (GFC) for Star Rating and 700 marks are given for Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF+/ODF++) or SBM Water Plus certification. It may be recalled that the GVMC has applied under three categories, i.e., garbage-free city (GFC), Open Defecation-Free Plus (ODF++), and SBM Water Plus certification for Swachh Survekshan 2021.
Meanwhile, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is currently standing at the third position in the Citizen Feedback category. According to the GVMC officials, as of 23 January 2021, 3:30 PM, 3,78,562 people had given their feedback for Vizag in the 10 lakh-above population category. Bhopal is leading the chart with 4,36,634 people giving feedback, followed by Ahmedabad with 4,21,207.
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