Ganga at core of cleanliness drive
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The campaign will be conducted in phases. From Aug 1 to Aug 15, the PMC will sensitise its employees, stakeholders and enforcement teams. From Aug 15 to Oct 2, the corporation will carry out a citywide campaign to raise public awareness and penalise those found littering on roads or near rivers, or using plastic.
Municipal commissioner Animesh Kumar Prashar described garbage and plastic as the two primary adversaries of the civic body.
"Our teams are working on both fronts to maintain cleanliness in the city," he said. "To enforce the plastic ban, we will focus on three dimensions – suppliers of polythene, its users, and behavioural change. For this, three dedicated wings will be created," he added.
Explaining the structure, Prashar said, "The first wing will focus on awareness and behavioural change. The second, the information wing, will track the sources of plastic supply and plug the gaps.
The third wing will be responsible for enforcement, ensuring timely action against violators when information is received."
Volunteers will engage students in the cleanliness campaign, encouraging them to dissuade their families from dumping plastic and other pollutants into the Ganga. For cleaning the river, PMC will establish a 'Ganga Task Force' comprising 10 to 50 volunteers at each ghat. These volunteers will not only assist in cleaning but also raise awareness among visitors.
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ddressing the media on Saturday, Prashar said the campaign would be driven by the theme 'Mera Shehar, Meri Jawabdehi' (My City, My Responsibility). "People's participation is equally vital in keeping the city clean. The river plays a crucial role in the ecosystem of a city. A clean river reflects the city's identity. We will involve the youth and create awareness at the ghats through various cleaning activities.
In collaboration with the Bihar State Pollution Control Board, we will impose fines on individuals found polluting the Ganga, as per the Act," he said.
The Commissioner highlighted the PMC's goal to further improve the city's performance in the upcoming Swachh Survekshan 2025. "We are aiming for a five-star Garbage-Free City (GFC) rating. Last year, we received a one-star rating, and this year we achieved three stars," he noted.
He added, "It is essential to continue our campaign against plastic, conduct cleanliness drives, and prioritise waste processing to enhance our city's ranking in the next cleanliness survey. For the waste processing plant at the Ramachak Bairiya landfill site, the back-end work required to initiate the bidding process will be completed within the next two to three months."
As part of long-term plans, a 15-megawatt waste-to-energy plant will be set up at the landfill site.
In addition, several other waste management facilities will be established, including a 100-tonnes-per-day (TPD) biomethanation plant, a 250-TPD material recovery facility (MRF)-cum-refuse derived fuel plant, a 50-TPD MRF plant, a 700-TPD compost plant, and 325-TPD sanitary landfill units.
Other initiatives under this campaign will include the reuse of bottles for plantation ('safety from bottles'), activities to maintain garbage-vulnerable points (GVPs), the 'mission plantation' drive, a 'plastic-free Ganga' initiative, and awareness campaigns like 'say no to plastic' and intensive cleanliness drives across the city.
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