From sixth position in 2017, Tirupati fell to ninth place in 2018 in the Swachh Sarvekshan ranking, the cleanliness index for cities. Undaunted by the slip, the temple city is keen to make it to the top slot in the survey for 2020.
Tirupati MP Balli Durgaprasad, who participated in a programme on the nationwide cleanliness index here on Monday, requested every denizen in the city to participate in the survey to help take it to the top slot.
“I will also participate in the survey,” he volunteered. In spite of the staff crunch, the civic amenities had improved and the urban facilities became better, compared to the last two years, he observed, while making a ‘realistic projection’ of getting a better rank this time. Mr. Durgaprasad called plastic ban and distribution of cloth bags as the game-changer in improving cleanliness in the city, which was welcomed by the denizens with open hands.
Short films
MCT Commissioner P.S. Girisha called upon the public to prepare short films by January 10, with a running length of 1-2 minutes on Tirupati and cleanliness to win cash prize of ₹50,000. He said segregation of waste into dry and wet, avoiding open defecation, proper utilisation of public toilets and e-toilets would go a long way improving the city’s ranking. Prizes were given away to winners of quiz conducted by the MCT on its official Facebook page.
Additional Commissioner D. Haritha, Deputy Commissioner Chandramouliswar Reddy, revenue officer N. Sethumadhav and health officer Sudha Rani took part.
