Among the various pressing problems faced by the state capital, no doubt it’s dirtiness which will top the chart. The tag of being ‘one of the ten most dirtiest cities in the country’ is not only a disgrace for the denizens but also for the state too. The current picture hardly conforms to the aspiration which the city nurtures, that of becoming a Smart City soon. The new IMC board and the state government have assured that efforts will be rolled out to efface the bad name and appeals seeking cooperation from denizens in this regard have also come. It’s a nagging issue which has only seen temporary respites and the old game of leveling charges against one another where denizens and the IMC are the parties do have an unmistakable presence. Hopefully, from now onwards there is an end to it and both the city’s residents and the Corporation introspect and make good their respective under-performances.

In the ever-expanding subject of Urban Development it’s a well- documented observation that in cities which have high cleanliness graphs, the reasons are not attributed to just one single side’s roles. There, both citizens and civic authorities are the warriors, complementing each other in the 365-day process. This is what makes the cities in Europe and the US different from the Indian counterparts and while it’s impossible to reach that stature overnight, at least 60% of that performance can very well be replicated if there is sincerity and zeal for making things happen. Home Minister Bamang Felix in his recent meeting on HAA revival, among other proposals has mooted the formation of various committees which will keep vigil on the process of transformation towards a cleaner and greener capital. ‘Swachhta Vaahan’ for spreading cleanliness awareness amongst denizens has also been rolled out. While these along with many others are the fundamentals based on which the cleanliness challenge will be chased, it’s vital for them to remain in existence for a prolonged period so that a feeling that the government is truly serious to bring changes grows among citizens. There is also the need for attending the genuine grievances of sanitation workers, if any, to make sure that there are no disruption of on-ground activities such as garbage collection and disposal. That said, for the erring denizens who by habit or intentionally prefer to dump their ‘contribution’ not in the earmarked points, there should be strong penalty provisions.

However, irrespective of theoretical soundness of the cleanliness plans, little progress can be made towards a more liveable ICR unless they are pursued for a definite and pre-determined phase. Zero interruption and protracted perusal with periodic reviews must form the essence of all cleanliness objectives.