CHANDIGARH: The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government has extended its state-wide Cleanliness Campaign 2.0 till September 12, citing strong public participation and the resolution of more than 83 per cent of civic complaints received during the drive.
Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains made the announcement while addressing a press conference at MC Bhawan in Chandigarh. He said the campaign, launched on August 29 across all 166 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), had received 6,459 complaints through the M-Seva app. Out Of these, 5,407 complaints had been resolved on the ground. Bains said the extension was necessitated by a surge in citizen participation and a large number of complaints received through the M-Seva app on the final day of the campaign.
The Minister also announced four mega cleanliness drives to be held over the next four Saturdays, beginning September 12, with the aim of making citizen participation a regular feature of urban sanitation efforts. The drives will involve NGOs, market associations, youth clubs, religious organisations and Resident Welfare Associations.
Calling cleanliness a collective responsibility, Bains said sustainable sanitation could not be achieved without active public cooperation. He urged residents to devote two to three hours on Saturday mornings to cleaning parks, markets and neighbourhoods.
The Local Government Department has also introduced a door-to-door garbage collection system across cities to prevent the re-emergence of Garbage Vulnerable Points (GVPs). Bains appealed to residents to keep their waste at home until collection vehicles arrive and warned that strict fines would be imposed for littering in public places after the awareness phase.
Bains said he had personally visited Kurali, Kharar and Nangal during the campaign and witnessed the efforts of sanitation workers. He thanked MLAs, Deputy Commissioners, Municipal Commissioners, councillors and sanitation staff for their contribution. He said a detailed analysis of the campaign, along with photographic evidence of permanently eradicated GVPs, will be presented after its conclusion.
