HYDERABAD: With Urban Local Bodies in Telangana State faring poorly in Swachh Bharat ranking, the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has appointed a national monitor to oversee the implementation of Swachh Bharat-Swachh Telangana programme. The MoUD ranked the 476 first tier cities in the country studying adoption of good sanitation practices. While Hyderabad ranked 275 in the list, Secunderabad got ranked 191. Considering the poor standard of sanitation in the state, the MoUD has appointed Central Public Works Department (CPWD), chief engineer, Shailendra Sharma as the national monitor under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban for Telangana state. He will be co-opted as a member of State level High Powered Committee chaired by the chief secretary of the State.
The designated officer will visit four ULBs every month to inspect the progress in implementation of Swachh Bharat-Swachh Telangana programmes ie, construction of individual toilets, community toilets, public toilets and measures for effective solid waste management. He will report the progress in implementation to SBM Directorate, MoUD, New Delhi.
As many as 11 cities were surveyed in Telangana state but only Hyderabad and Secunderabad were listed in the rankings. These rankings are based on the extent of open defecation and solid waste management practices in the towns and cities.
Concerned over the poor record in sanitation, Telangana commissioner and director of Municipal Administration has issued a direction to all municipal commissioners to furnish information regarding implementation of Swachh Bharat programme and submit the same during the inspection.
During inspection, the municipal commissioners of ULBs should furnish a list of individual household toilets constructed under the SBM since October 2.