Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has asked official teams that will participate in the Swachh Hyderabad programme in the next few days to provide leadership to people in identifying needs of the localities that were assigned to them for supervision during the programme.
Speaking after launch of the programme at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre on Saturday, he wanted the teams to meet community leaders in localities and go round with them to take an inventory of civic amenities.
From Sunday, they can visit the ‘bastis’ at a time convenient to residents
People lack planning and tend to recount only current issues that are bothering them.
Hence, it is the job of the teams to “plan the locality”, and fix the responsibility. They can accordingly make recommendations to either Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation or government, Mr. Rao stated.
Calling the sweepers and sanitation workers ‘Gods’, he urged everyone to discipline themselves so as to reduce the burden on them. “Gandhiji campaigned about hygiene in Dalit colonies. Swachh Bharat programme is conceptualised as per his ideals, of which Swachh Telangana is a part, Mr. Rao said. He said Hyderabad was in the safest seismological zone and attracted people from across the country including former CEC J.M.Lyngdoh who decided to spend his post-retirement life here. However, everything here is not as it should be, as evident by the bad state of civic amenities.
Earlier, he released the Swacch Hyderabad-Swachh Telangana logo.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan called the initiative “bold and innovative” and said it is the first time in the country where government is going to the doorstep of the people, seeking their involvement. However, the initiative should not be limited to a few days, but rather go on to become a way of living for people of Hyderabad and Telangana.
Expressing dismay at littering of the streets, Mr. Narasimhan said people should be made to pick up their own garbage. “We are not going to tolerate any nonsense. We will teach such violators a lesson”. Improving governance and thereby, the ‘Happiness Index’ of the people, should be the goal of the initiative, he said.
Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly S.Madhusudanachari, chairman of Legislative Council K.Swamy Goud, ministers, legislators, MPs and officials took part in the programme.
