Srinagar: To improve its ranking in the Swach Bharat Mission, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has started a number of measures to improve sanitation and cleanliness of the summer capital of the State.

Under the government of India Mission launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2013, Swachh Survekshan-2017 is starting in 500 cities across India from Wednesday including Srinagar, Chief Sanitation Officer SMC, Manzoor Ahmed Tarray, told media at a press conference on Tuesday.

“A number of cities have taken various types of measures to improve sanitation to achieve better ranking in Swachh Survekshan-2017,” the official told media.

Tarray said that the Srinagar city has the SMC officials did a commendable job in the last four months when the city was struggling to maintain law and order.

Tarray, however, acknowledged that the city lags behind from other cities in many aspects, but the gap can be filled by striving hard and following the instructions.

“If we still strive to perform better we can achieve better results and ranking. Therefore, Sanitation Officers and Ward Officers have been directed to adhere some important instructions,” Tarray said.

He said as per Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, SMC is duty bound to collect waste from residential houses and commercial areas on doorsteps of the generator. The SMC has already issued Chota

The SMC has already issued Chota Hathis, Cycle Rickshaws, Wooden Handcarts and Containerized Handcarts for efficient and 100% door to door collection of Solid Waste from the residential areas as well as from commercial areas.

“All the Ward Officers will keep a proper record of daily collection with regard to waste collected from each citizen both residential and commercial and daily register be kept readily available so that same will be checked by the individual verifying authority,” Tarray said.

Tarray said SMC has already designated more than 40 markets as Municipal Markets for the collection of solid waste and carrying out sanitation in two shifts in the morning and the evening.

Tarray also informed the media that the SMC has installed various types of litter bins and secondary collection dustbins for proper storage of solid waste to prevent littering of waste on the roads, water bodies and open spaces.

“All Ward Officers will prepare and keep the readily available detail of litter bins and garbage bins installed in their wards. The areas around these litter bins and garbage storage bins should be kept neat and clean and daily cleaned and disinfected with the lime. If any litter bin or garbage storage bin is in dilapidated or damaged condition same shall be replaced with the new bin within two days unfailingly.”

In city ranking, special attention of independent verification agency will be towards open defecation, open urination and use of public and community latrines in Srinagar city, the official said.