GMC announces competition to improve sanitation

Guwahati: In a bid to add a competitive edge to maintaining sanitation and improving the city’s Swachh Survekshan rankings, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has announced a community-led cleanliness competition.

Launching the initiative on Saturday, the civic body representatives said the competition would involve women-led committees, development committees, citizens’ forums, and local clubs across the city.

“Under the competition, community groups representing 100 to 300 households will be assessed based on cleanliness, sanitation, and environmental parameters. The evaluation will be done on a 150-point scale, covering waste segregation, drain maintenance, elimination of open garbage dumping and red spots, plantation drives, public awareness campaigns, home composting and cleanliness of public spaces,” GMC mayor Mrigen Sarania said.

Committees can register between June 1 and 15, and the competition will begin from July 1 and continue till Aug 31.

To encourage participation, the mayor has also announced a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh for the first, second and third positions, respectively, for winners across GMC’s six divisions. A consolation prize of Rs 50,000 each will also be awarded to other participants. Additionally, an exceptionally performing committee will receive a special reward of Rs 5 lakh.

“All participating organisations will be provided certificates of participation in recognition of their contribution towards building a cleaner city,” Sarania added.

As part of the initiative, the GMC also plans to appoint nearly 1000 ‘swachh sakhis’, each tasked with monitoring around 300 households. The mayor said they will oversee waste collection practices and promote compliance with sanitation guidelines at the grassroots level.

Sarania also announced that the civic body would levy a garbage collection fee of Rs 30 on every household, replacing the practice of NGOs collecting fees from some households for garbage-collection services. “This will help improve waste collection and sanitation services. The fee, which was previously Rs 50, has now been reduced to Rs 30,” he added.