Navi Mumbai: After securing third position in the 2022 Swachh Survekshan, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has intensified its efforts of securing a top rank in the 2023 cleanliness survey.
NMMC’s city engineering department has identified almost ₹20 crore worth of work to be undertaken across all eight wards in the city. It includes refurbishing wall paintings, placing new litter bins, new covers for drainage channels, maintenance of the water fountains, re-laying paver blocks, repainting the road lane markings, zebra crossing etc.
Maximum beautification work is to be undertaken within Nerul, followed by Vashi, and Turbhe.
The beautification and repair work are expected to go on for the next 3 months. Before calling tenders, the department had surveyed to ascertain the condition of the existing beautification work. “Around a fortnight ago, every engineer was asked to look into the condition of the works already done last year. We had to identify the kind of repair work required as well as suggest newer additions which would enhance the city’s overall look,” said an official from the engineering department.
NMMC last year had attained third place in the country for cleanliness. This year the civic body is eyeing the top rank and has come up with a comprehensive beautification plan. Officials said at least ₹30 lakh worth of work is to be undertaken within each of the nodes.
“Instead of undertaking minor works it was decided to come up with comprehensive tenders wherein all aspects for Swachh Bharat Sarvekshan will get covered,” said city engineer Sanjay Desai.
Likewise, the corporation will also repaint artefacts which have faded and will be using high-pressure water pipes to clean walls which are found to be having carbon sediments. More locations are to be identified to have fountains installed.
“The beautification work is in adherence to the instruction recently issued by the government to find newer ways to make the city attractive. This year, we are focused on getting even other agencies like the railways, and the MSRDC to take up similar works in areas that come under the NMMC. We had a couple of meetings with each of these agencies to facilitate the beautification of railway stations and the Sion-Panvel Highway as well,” municipal commissioner Rajesh Narvekar told HT.
Jackets with Swachh mission messages for sanitation workers
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) sanitation workers involved in the daily collection of segregated garbage have been given attractive colourful jackets by the civic body, with Swachh Survekshan Mission messages printed on them to promote awareness amongst the citizens on garbage segregation.
The personnel who collect the garbage on a daily basis play a significant role in the cleanliness of the city. While the dry and wet garbage is collected separately by them, they also ensure that it is transported to the landfill site for solid waste management (SWM) in different vehicles or different compartments of the same vehicle.
Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar said, “To ensure that the citizens themselves segregate their garbage at home, we have been creating awareness through cartoon drawings of green and blue garbage bins giving them names of Olu and Suku for wet and dry garbage respectively. While this is being done through various media, we have now given fluorescent jackets to 720 of our sanitation workers and drivers deployed on garbage collection vehicles.”
Deputy municipal commissioner (SWM) Dr Babasaheb Rajale said He added, “On the back of the jackets, there is the logo of ‘Swachh Survekshan 2023’ along with the NMMC theme of ‘Nischay Kela Number Pahila’ to top the survey. There is also the ‘India versus Garbage’ logo of the central government.”
Narvekar said, “While the jackets will provide a distinct identity to the personnel involved in such a crucial job, it will also ensure that the residents get the garbage segregation message every day. There will be continuous hammering of the message”
– With inputs from G Mohiuddin Jeddy