Centre asks states to fast-track cleanup of dirty spots with focus on visible cleanliness

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has convened a high-level virtual meeting with all states and union territories on Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 under the chairmanship of Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, an official said on Saturday.

The meeting was also attended by MoS, MoHUA, Tokhan Sahu and Secretary, MoHUA S. Katikithala, a statement mentioned, adding the meeting prioritised visible cleanliness in urban India and the double-pronged approach of identification and transformation of Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs).

Highlighting the critical role of CTUs as engines of change for urban development and policy implementation, Manohar Lal Khattar emphasised that cleanliness and urban development go hand in hand, describing them as two sides of the same coin.

The Ministry has drafted a framework for time-bound clearance of these urban lands, that focuses on regular reviews and aggressive monitoring by states, citizen mobilisation and interface for mapping CTUs via Swachhata App, fast-tracking and time-bound clearance of the mapped sites, beautification to reclaim the land and prevent re-accumulation, the MoHUA statement read.

These CTUs will be mapped on the https://swachhatahiseva.gov.in/ portal.

With focus on the ignored and difficult sports, the cities have been advised to identify the Legacy Waste Dumpsites as high-intensity CTUs that will require time and resource for transformation. ULBs may collaborate with PSUs, private firms, CSR groups, NGOs, startups, and other stakeholders for adoption of these CTUs.

The cities should encourage the use and adoption of the Swachhata App to identify and transform CTUs. With over 2 crore registered users, the app captures location, images, and CTU details when issues are reported, and auto-assigns them to ward officials. Notifications are sent at submission and resolution, with a 7-day window for citizens to confirm or reopen complaints.

Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to action for Swachhata, Union Minster Manohar Lal Khattar said: "CTU cleaning is about converting eyesores into areas of pride, restoring dignity of public spaces, and ensuring that cleanliness is not just on paper, but visible, felt, and experienced by every citizen in their daily lives.”

MoS, MoHUA, Tokhan Sahu urged the states to lead the expeditious intervention of Solid Waste Management. He highlighted that with just 12 months left for the completion of SBM-U 2.0, it’s time to move swiftly to achieve all key targets within the set timeline.

In line with building cleaner cities and strengthening capacity under SBM-U 2.0, MoHUA launched the Swachh Shehar Jodi (SSJ) guidelines.

Seventy-two top-performing cities of SS 2024-25 will mentor and handhold 72 low performer mentee cities. Based on the ‘Each One Teach One’ model, SSJ is aimed at scaling the impact of successful sanitation models and seeks to institutionalise structured mentorship, peer learning, and collaborative action between mentor and mentee cities within the same state, the MoHUA statement mentioned.

Within a span of two months, MoHUA held two rounds of state meetings to review progress under SBM-U 2.0, with a strong focus on Legacy Waste Management, Solid Waste Management and setting up CBG plants.

To accelerate the goal of Garbage Free Cities, the Ministry urged states to drive aggressive monitoring, daily review and fast-track waste processing plants and dumpsite remediation.

--IANS

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