LOL: Bangalore is fourth cleanest city in India

Bangalore is fourth cleanest city in India

Vijay Times Here is something to cheer not crib or gripe about as usual. Namma Bengalooru is cleaner than Amchi Mumbai and Saddi Dilli! So says a survey on cleanliness of major cities in India by a reputed agency. Surprisingly Kolkata has beaten Bangalore and as expected Chandigarh tops the list. Chennai comes second, Bangalore fourth. You may find it difficult to believe but the City has scored over scores of other state capitals because of its "clean roads, efficient garbage disposal system, greenery and plantation," according to the survey by A C Nielsen on behalf of Lifebuoy. The survey covered 18 state capitals and Bangalore scored 108 points as against the all city average of 100 to occupy the fourth place. The City civic authorities, getting rapped almost daily for not keeping Bangalore spic and span, were all smiles when told of the surveys result but, on record, were very modest. “We have always tried to keep the City clean and green. Its not that important to find where we stand in respect to other cities, as we have set our own benchmarks and are trying to achieve our set standards. This year, we have already started implementing the new tenders of health and hygiene,” said Gaurav Gupta, Special Commissioner of BBMP. For good measure he added “We were the first ones to initiate door to door garbage collection, followed by auto tippers and compactor. We are also in the process of 100 per cent commissioning of integrated sanitary landfills in Maavallipura and Mandur.” On the flak the civic authorities continue to get, Gupta was all praise for Bangaloreans. They are are pretty responsive and critical. “Naturally, we need to keep higher standards to satisfy them.” And what is the view of experts on Bangalores achievement. Dr A Ravindra, Deputy Chairman, State Planning Commission: Some of the key problems of Bangalore includes lack of land filling sites, inappropriate garbage disposal etc. But these problems are common to other cities as well. And in these respects, Bangalore as compared to its counterparts is relatively better. And of course, I believe that this survey hasnt taken Greater Bangalore into consideration. “The door-to-door collection of garbage in Bangalore is quite effective. Similarly, there is a well established system for the disposal of raw meat in the city markets.” But how citizen-friendly is the city in terms of health and hygiene? Dr Prakash Rao, a community health expert, has this to say: “Bangalore is a fairly new city and is undoubtedly clean. But when it comes to the slums, it is as dirty as any other city. Sanitation and water facilities are not up to the mark thus affecting the health of people here. Moreover, people need to be aware of the cleanliness.”

IS THIS HOW WE STAY CLEAN: Garbage collected from “Keep the City Clean Board”between 16th and 17th C Main of Malleswaram.