https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Patiala Raises Cleanliness Bar in Punjab

Patiala district is consistently performing well in Swachhta ranking in Punjab Recently, DC of Patiala ordered all offices to stop the use of single use plastic The city also has its own effective model for a cleaner and greener Patiala
Indian Masterminds Stories

On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 145th birth anniversary on 2 October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started the ambitious ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India Mission) in 2014. Ever since, this Mission has benefited the country in a big way. And, Patiala in Punjab has consistently been one of the top performers in Swachchta rankings in the state, and was adjudged the cleanest city of Punjab in 2021.

The city has its own model to work towards Swachhta Mission and make Patiala cleaner, greener and plastic free. Recently, Patiala administration started Indian Swachhata League 2.0 and Safai Mitr Suraksha Shivir on the lines of the Swachhta Mission. Now they are working towards a plastic free Patiala. The administration banned single use plastic in all offices and has a solid plan for waste disposal as well. The good thing is, the initiatives being taken by the administration for Swachhta Mission have become popular among the city dwellers. The sanitary workers, too, are benefiting from regularly organised medical camps.

Indian Masterminds spoke to DC of Patiala, 2014 batch IAS officer Sakshi Sawhney, to know how Patiala became the cleanest city in Punjab.

PATIALA MODEL

Swachhata hi Sewa (SHS) is a prelude to Swachh Bharat Diwas which is celebrated on 2 Oct. It is jointly organized by Swachhta Bharat Mission (SBM) Urban and Grameen.

The initiative aims to mobilize citizens through various activities like the Indian Swacchh League 2.0, ‘Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivir’, where training is imparted and safety kits distributed to all Safai Mitras apart from connecting them to government schemes and other IEC activities like cleaning drives, etc. The ‘Indian Swachhata League’ is India’s first inter-city competition led by the youth towards building garbage free cities under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0.

The theme for this year is ‘Garbage Free India’ and keeping that in mind, various activities are being organised in Patiala.

Ms. Sawhney said, “In order to mobilize people, we organized Swachhta rally in the district where more than 800 people participated despite the rains. We also organized medical camps for the sanitary workers throughout the district, where around 1700 workers were benefited.”

NO PLASTIC IN OFFICE

She also ordered that no office in Patiala should use ‘single use plastic’, suggesting the use of alternatives.
Every month, the employees self-assess themselves based on different parameters and the department that demonstrates zero plastic waste and consumption can declare itself plastic-free and is duly recognized by the administration.

Pledge boards are placed in the offices in order to involve all the employees. The alternative to plastic cutlery is reusable cups, bottles, and other such utensils.

Even the canteens in offices do not use single-use plastic cups while the employees are being encouraged to use cloth bags in place of polythene bags to bring their belongings.

DISPOSAL

Mountains of garbage are a common sight in cities. To ensure that does not happen in Patiala, the administration has put in place an action plan.

There are 17 MRF centers in the corporation area, in Rajpura, Patran, Gaggha, Nabha and Samana, where around 284 tons of waste is processed every day. Four more MRF centers will be developed in Nabha in the coming months.

The city has bio-remediated 3.5 acre land of dumpsite and 2 acres in Rajpura, 2 acres in Patran, 4 acres in Nabha, 5 acres in Samana, and work on 2 acres of land is currently going on in Gaggha.
In order to process wet waste, a new bio-gas plant will be constructed soon. It will have the capacity of processing around 60 tons of wet waste per day.

TOWARDS PLASTIC FREE PATIALA

The administration is going to organize a competition among market associations where, as per the parameters, one of them would be declared plastic free and rewarded, paving the way for others in the future.

“We are also going to organize the same thing in the campuses of universities. Also, penalties will be imposed on the owners of vacant plots where garbage accumulates. We are also involving religious places in our initiatives to make festivals single use plastic free,” Ms. Sawhney said.

BEHAVIOURIAL CHANGE

In any city, the biggest threat to cleanliness is people’s behaviour and habits. To bring about change in such behaviour of littering, garbage disposal in the open, and using plastic, the officer is organsing Nukkad Nataks to create awareness among the people on the adverse effects of plastic waste. Cycle rallies ate also held in order to involve citizens in the awareness campaigns.

Exposure visits to MRF centers are also being planned for students. There will be a waste-to-wealth competition in schools to inculcate sensitivity towards the environment in the students at a young age.

They explored MRF, RRR sites,& compost pits at NP Ghanaur, gaining firsthand knowledge about waste management & importance of a cleaner, greener future.

GREENER PATIALA

To make Patiala greener, plantation drives are organised every day throughout the district. In this initiative, around 500 citizens are being involved in various plantation and park beautification activities.
While the green belts are being developed, solar panels have been installed in government buildings.

“The move towards greener and cleaner cities begins with each one of us. Small actions that we take today pave the way for a better tomorrow. Together we can transform the city, connect with nature, and envision a better lifestyle,” Ms. Sawhney summed up.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
Devendra Kumar Tiwari Alka Tiwari  IAS Jharkhand
First IAS Couple in India to Hold Both Chief Secretary & State Election Commissioner Posts Consecutively - Know This Powerful Pair
Policing, Trust, and Investment: Insights from IPF - Indian Masterminds
Indian Police Foundation Marks 10 Years, Discussion on How Policing Builds Investor Confidence
Madhya Pradesh football training
Mini Brazil to Germany: Vicharpur’s Young Footballers Get CM Mohan Yadav’s Blessings on Vijayadashami Week
bureaucracy news
Centre Announces Key Bureaucratic Appointments & Deputation Extensions: Neeraj Surendran, Arun G, Anand Mohan Among Key Names
PM Modi CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar Receives Rs. 10,219 Crore from Centre: A Festive Gift On Vijayadashami to Fuel Development & Welfare, Backed by GST Reforms
Chhattisgarh government
Chhattisgarh CM Charts Development Roadmap: Push for Capital Expenditure, Biometric Attendance, & Transparent Governance
Vishnu Deo Sai CM
Chhattisgarh Gets Rs. 3,462 Crore Boost from Modi Government: Here's How CM Sai Pledges To Spend It!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
How Siddhartha Saxena Cracked UPSC CAPF AIR 326 Against All Odds
Dr. S.K
Technology Meets Ecology: IFS Dr S K Srivastava’s Game-Changing Innovations in Forest Management | Eco Warrior Awards 2025 Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Live Interaction
From Cut-off Dates to Coaching & Reforms: UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Assures Aspirants of Fairness, Transparency & a Future-Ready UPSC | UPSC@100
A Century of Service: The UPSC’s Landmark Year Begins. Chairman Ajay Kumar on UPSC’s Centennial: “Merit,...
Giriraj Parihar MPPSC 2024
From Constable to Deputy Collector: Giriraj Parihar’s 9-Year MPPSC Journey | Farmer’s Son, Brother to Five Sisters
From a jail guard to MPPSC 2024 Rank 8, Giriraj Parihar’s nine-year journey of self-study, hard work,...
Ankit MPPSC 2024 Rank 3
From Village Dreams to Deputy Collector’s Chair: Meet Ankit, MPPSC Rank 3 Hindi Medium Topper
Ankit, a Hindi-medium aspirant from Balaghat, secured Rank 3 in MPPSC 2024 and became Deputy Collector...
Social Media
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
India’s Missile Strikes on 11 Pakistani Airbases Forced Islamabad Into Panic: Ex-UK Envoy Reveals Secret Saudi Defense Pact
Devendra Kumar Tiwari Alka Tiwari  IAS Jharkhand
First IAS Couple in India to Hold Both Chief Secretary & State Election Commissioner Posts Consecutively - Know This Powerful Pair
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
Dr. S.K
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT