Mandi’s ‘clean city’ effort earns 6th place, Mayor calls for more public engagement

In a review meeting held on Friday, Virender Bhatt, Mayor of Mandi Municipal Corporation, assessed the city’s performance in the “Swachh Shaher, Samriddh Shaher” (clean city, prosperous city) initiative. The Mayor shared mixed feelings about the results, noting that while Mandi secured the sixth position among municipal corporations in Himachal Pradesh, there was potential for an even higher ranking.

The Mayor pointed out that despite the dedicated efforts of councillors, officers and employees, the city’s overall rank was affected by low public participation in the Citizen Services Portal, resulting in fewer registrations than anticipated. “Although we scored full marks in two categories, we ended up at 34th position among urban local bodies,” said the Mayor. “We were hopeful of securing the top spot, considering the hard work put in by our team.”

Despite this setback, Bhatt expressed pride in the city’s achievements in sanitation and public engagement. He assured residents that the administration was committed to improving the city’s rank in the next phase of the campaign and pledged corrective measures.

To address these shortcomings, the Mayor announced that councillors would conduct door-to-door visits to assist residents with registering on the Citizen Services Portal if necessary. He also urged citizens to participate actively in these campaigns, emphasising the importance of segregating dry and wet waste and handing it over to sanitation workers, rather than littering public spaces.

The “clean city, prosperous city” initiative, launched on February 5 this year, by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, concluded on April 9. It aimed to strengthen and empower towns and cities across Himachal Pradesh. The performance assessments were based on three major components: the Swachh Bharat Mission, Samadhan Shivirs and the Citizen Services Portal.

Mandi excelled in the Swachh Bharat Mission, earning a perfect score of 34 out of 34 points, and performed well in the Samadhan Shivirs, scoring 28 out of 33 points. However, it struggled in terms of Citizen Services Portal usage, where it earned only 7 out of 33 points due to limited public registration.

In conclusion, the Mayor urged residents to take ownership of their city’s cleanliness, emphasising that a clean city is the foundation of a prosperous one. He reiterated the need for collective effort and encouraged citizens to actively support municipal initiatives.

Himachal Tribune