Sound sanitation vital for better society

Banjara hills: The State-level Committee chairman of National Green Tribunal Justice C V Ramulu observed here on Wednesday that a better society could be evolved only if personal and area sanitation was ensured.

Participating as the chief guest at the one-day work on ‘Poura Samsthala Bagaswayam Dwara Swachh Hyderabad Sadhna,’ organised by GHMC in coordination with several NGOs, he stated that the country could remain ‘Swachh’ only because of active cooperation between people and the civic body.

Justice Ramulu called for society, official machinery and NGOs to come onto a common platform for the effective implementation of Swachh programmes. While praising the efforts by GHMC for achieving this, he proposed the slogan of ‘Saaf Hyderabad, Shaandaar Hyderabad’ for ensuring wholehearted participation by Hyderabadis in Swachh programmes.

Addressing the participants, GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore described ‘Swachhta’ as a continuous process. He said sanitation and Swachh programmes could become successful only if local people and residents of colonies/localities actively complement GHMC efforts. Official machinery alone could not achieve total cleanliness and sanitation in the city. For this, there was a need for a change in thinking of people. To achieve this, GHMC had been conducting regular awareness programmes, he said.

Dana Kishore observed that daily life would become miserable if there was no proper urban behaviour, and called for a significant change in personal thinking in tune with societal changes. He stated that GHMC was spending Rs 4,000 crore on Swachh programmes for the city. These programmes would not be fruitful if there was no public cooperation/participation. The GHMC chief noted that Rs 874 crore was being paid as electricity charges for bringing the Godavari waters to the Twin Cities. He expressed concern over the wastage of water for washing vehicles, houses and other reckless methods.

Dana Kishore noted that the water being supplied in city was better than that sold in mineral bottles, as stated by a team from Germany which conducted a study. The GHMC, he said, was making efforts to bring about a change in public thinking with regard to holding of Swachh programmes, preventing wastage of water, sinking of rainwater harvesting pits, in coordination with several NGOs. “It is only because of such efforts by NGOs during the last seven years that Indore could emerge on top across the country in Swachh Survekshan,’ Dana Kishore said.

Among those present were GHMC Additional Commissioner Shruti Ojha, Zonal Commissioners Hari Chandana, Musharaf Ali, S Srinivas Reddy, Raghuprasad, Shankarayya, Srinivas Reddy, Deputy Commissioners, medical/project officers, environmental specialists, representatives of NGOs.