BENGALURU: From now on, ward officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike will have to undertake cleaning activities from 6 am to 11 am on Saturdays. According to the directions of BBMP commissioner Anil Kumar, at least one ward in a zone will be taken up for intensive cleaning every week.
As per an order dated August 29, officials of health, solid waste management and horticulture departments, the corporator, chief engineers and members of resident welfare associations will be involved in this. They will be under the supervision of the joint commissioners (JC) of respective zones.
“Road cleaning, manhole desilting, clearing footpath of encroachments, cleaning drains will be undertaken. Before and after photos will have to be uploaded on the website. If an activity is planned on Saturday, a letter will have to be sent to the commissioner’s office on Friday regarding what will be undertaken,” the order states.
In case the intensive cleaning drive does not take place and citizen complaints pour in regularly, action will be initiated against the joint commissioner of the zone concerned.
On Saturday, 18 wards were selected in eight zones for the initiative — HBR Layout, Banaswadi and Hoysala Nagar in East Zone; Gandhinagar, Malleswaram, Nagapura, Nandini Layout, Govindarajanagar and Chamarajapet in West Zone; Byrasandra, Hanumantha Nagar and Madiwala in South Zone; Kempegowda Nagar and Jakkur in Yelahanka Zone; Chokkasandra in Dasarahalli Zone; Jnanbharati Nagar in RR Nagar Zone; KR Puram and Varthur in Mahadevapura Zone and Arakere in Bommanahalli Zone.
Former commissioner Manjunath Prasad had also asked the special commissioners to inspect and take up civic works in their respective wards. Recently, the palike also launched an ‘Adopt a street’ programme through corporate social responsibility funds to clean and green roads and make them pedestrian-friendly.