VIJAYAWADA: Municipal Commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh said the civic body was aiming at achieving top rank in the next edition of the cleanliness survey after being recognised as the third cleanest city in India and receiving a five-star rating under garbage-free city category awards for Swachh Survekshan-2021.
The civic body chief along with Mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi and Deputy Mayors B Durga and A Sailaja Reddy displayed the awards presented by President Ram Nath Kovind in the cleanliness survey at a programme held in the Council Hall here on Monday.Speaking on the occasion, Venkatesh said Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has taken up several initiatives and continuous practices to excel in Swachh Survekshan by maintaining cleanliness and providing a hygienic environment for its citizens.
The civic body has improved its position from the first time it secured 19th rank in 2017 for the Swacch Survekshan awards. Prasanna Venkatesh informed that practices such as garbage-free city concept, 100 per cent source segregation, door-to-door garbage collection, categorization of four bin system, transportation through GPS tracking, scientific ways of treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) as per MoEF & CPCB norms, micro-level planning using IOT tools such as RFID tags/scanners, monitoring bins through CCTV cameras and installation of underground smart bins were being followed.
When asked why Vijayawada did not secure the top rank in the cleanliness survey, Venkatesh said Indore had the advantage as it was selling treated sewage water to industries. He added that the civic body was also preparing an action plan to sell the treated sewage water to the thermal power stations and other industries. If the proposal materialises, the civic body has chances to attain the top rank, he said.
Vijayawada also secured five-star rating under garbage-free cities category and bagged the Prerak Dauur Samman Award in Gold (Anupam category). The city has been declared as a water plus among the nine cities in India, for maintaining a public park in Bhavanipuram with treated sewage water, the civic body chief added.