Hailakandi administration formulates action plan to step up cleanliness drive

Hailakandi, Feb 8: Following a dip in the cleanliness ranking of Hailakandi town, an emergent meeting was held to take stock of the situation and to draw up an action plan to step up the cleanliness drive under Swachh Bharat Mission. The meeting was organized by Hailakandi Municipal Board at the directive of the district administration at Rabindra Bhavan here on Wednesday, stated a press release.

“The cleanliness drive must be stepped up by the Municipal Board and other agencies to keep the town clean round the year,” said Deputy Commissioner Moloy Bora at the meeting attended by officials of Municipal Board, ward commissioners, merchants’ associations, market committees, prominent citizens, NGOs, presspersons and other stakeholders. The idea is also to involve the citizens, including members of traders’ associations, market associations, industrial associations, youth, and school children in the drive. Bora exhorted upon the citizens to come forward and participate wholeheartedly in ‘helping us keep the town clean’.

“Strict action will be taken against anyone littering the municipal areas,” said Bora, adding that a ‘Clean Hailakandi Run’ will also be initiated as a part of the drive. Officials and ward commissioners of Municipal Board briefed Bora about the steps being undertaken and the course of action for keeping the town clean. The Municipal Board has been asked to initiate the process for door-to-door collection of waste, remove garbage and rubble from the river bank, market places and vacant plots. There will be special emphasis on use of public toilets and clearing of clogged drains for free flow of water. Municipal Board has been directed to arrange more dustbins at suitable places and also augment their manpower, vehicles and other resources for gearing up the cleanliness drive.

The Deputy Commissioner instructed the Executive Officer, Municipal Board to make a round of the wards every morning for supervision of the drive ‘as monitoring holds the key for ensuring cleanliness and creating awareness’. Hailakandi town has altogether 16 municipal wards. Mandatory use of dustbins by shop owners will be enforced by the municipality, failing which trade licenses will be cancelled.

Apart from all these steps, Deputy Commissioner Bora stressed sanitation measures, removal of garbage, solid waste magement and spreading awareness about hygiene with help of NGOs. At the end of the meeting, Bora directed the Municipal Board to submit a report on cleanliness initiatives for onward transmission to the Chief Secretary.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Superintendent of Police Prab Jyoti Goswami, Executive Officer, Hailakandi Municipal Board, Ruth Lienthang, president, Merchants’ Association, Bhagawandas Sarda, prominent citizen Kamrul Alam Choudhury, former district BJP president Khitish Ranjan Paul, jourlists Nilotpol Deb and Shankar Choudhury and secretary, Lions Club, Hailakandi, Aruva Ghosh.