NEW DELHI: The Centre aims to clean and transform around two lakh sites during the fortnight-long ‘Swabhav Swachhata Sanskaar Swachhata (4S) 2024’ campaign, part of this year’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). These sites — referred to as Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) — are being identified across states and union territories (UTs) with the help of local bodies and governments.
“These Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) are the key highlight of this year’s campaign, involving the identification of CTUs and their mapping through a dedicated portal developed for the purpose. So far, 80,000 CTUs have been registered,” said Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, on Friday during the campaign’s curtain-raiser event in Delhi.
The campaign, which begins on September 17 — the birth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — will culminate on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, October 2.
The Government is encouraging Public Sector Undertakings, NGOs, and other institutions to adopt CTUs, including tourist locations, public buildings, commercial areas, community and public toilets, water bodies, zoos and sanctuaries.
The minister further informed that under the SBM initiative, 427 dumpsites with nine crore metric tonnes (MT) of waste have been fully remediated, freeing up 4,500 acres of land. There are currently around 2,300 dumpsites in urban areas holding a total of 22 crore MT of waste.
Lal noted that the focus during the campaign would be on cleaning smaller sites, while for larger CTUs, which require significant efforts, the process of tendering will begin within two weeks.
The ministry also announced the introduction of a special category — the ‘Golden City Club’ — for the annual Swachh Survekshan Awards.