Sabse swachh kaun? NNMC to launch cleanliness competition

To add a competitive element to the Swachh Bharat campaign, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) plans to launch a competition that will see participation from schools, residential complexes, restaurants and hospitals.

Participants will be judged on the basis of waste disposal, construction of toilets and other requisite measures adopted to maintain cleanliness. While winners will be awarded prizes, losers will be served notices.

The competition will commence on June 21 and will be held once every three months. According to NMMC PRO, Mahendra Kondhe, all participants will have to fill up their forms by June 20. From June 21 onward, their officials and experts will analyse the areas.

"We will be looking into areas such as waste segregation, cleanliness of toilets, and water usage among others. We also want to know the measures they are taking to maintain it; whether they have outsourced the job or are doing it themselves. All these pointers will be taken under consideration and we will eventually announce three prizes in each category," he said. The reward will be a cash prize, but the amount is yet to finalised. The competition will be held again in September and December. Kondhe said there have been talks about giving tax concessions to the winners. "Those who haven't participated will be counseled into doing so," he added.

Environmentalists and activists from Navi Mumbai have welcomed the move. Rohit Malhotra, a Vashi resident, said, "Every Sunday we clean the pond near our vicinity, but still people throw garbage in it. This competition will encourage citizens to follow rules."

Also Read: Mahatma Gandhi, national emblem tiles found in Swachh Bharat toilets

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