Garbage and Sanitation Issue in Hill Queen Shimla :

Thinking of Shimla, Dharamshala or Manali will lead one to think of snow covered peaks, green and pollution free environs. Let’s get the record straight as most of these hill stations in Himachal will welcome now with tonnes of garbage lying along the streets or thrown along the crevices in forests. The local newspapers write every other day about the crisis like situation in Shimla with respect to garbage disposal.

There seems no respite for Shimla city from a poor garbage disposal arrangement. The localities are stinking and presenting ugly scene almost in entire Corporation area. Totu, Boileauganj, Tutikandi, Vikasnagar, Panthaghati, Sanjauli etc. are some of the worst hit areas.

The door-to-door garbage collection system is not working efficiently in several localities. Residents are complaining irregularity on the part of the garbage collectors in picking up daily garbage. Even if garbage is collected, it remains dumped on roadsides for several days. The glass shards, plastic bottles or piles of reeking garbage are a common sights as always.

In reality, the Corporation has so far failed to manage the Shimla Environment, Heritage Conservation and Beautification (SEHB) Society, which was specifically formed to take care of the sanitation work in 2009 under Himachal Pradesh Societies Registration Act 2006. The body is supervised by the Commissioner (President) and Corporation Health Officer (Member Secretary).

The population of the city is increasing at annual rate of over 5% but the sanitation arrangements are only worsening. The SMC has a set of rules to ensure compliance on the part of the citizens, but no strictness is displayed in their implementations. 

Reasons :

• Rank of Shimla city dropped to 47 on the list of cleanest 434 cities surveyed under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2016. Shimla appears to be doing better on the list of cities with a population between 2 and 10 lakh.In the survey, availability of toilet, sewerage connectivity, door to door garbage collection and adequate dustbins in houses was assessed.
• The SMC argues that not more than 25 percent of the total houses are connected by motorable roads. Prohibition on construction of roads due to their vulnerability of landslide is a big hindrance in collecting and transporting waste.
• The cause of inefficiency in the working of the door to door garbage collection to the arduous nature of the work due to a hilly region, the more manpower is required to resolve this issue.
• However, the civic body did not work on creating awareness regarding the need to segregate waste at domestic level.
• Lack of political will.

Govrnment Efforts :

• The Corporation is availing some centre schemes meant to introduce upgraded waste management methods and sanitation norms.
• As per its own records (2014), MC Shimla had received funds under 13th Finance Commission and State Grants for sustaining and improving Solid Waste Management services.
• Under the Jawaharlal Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), an integrated Solid Waste Management Project was approved for Rs. 1,604 Lacs.
• The Corporation claims it has utilized this grant in improving solid waste management infrastructure through the purchase of pickup vans, compactors, garbage bins, constructing new treatment plant and consultancy fees for preparation of DPRs.
• The government of India has also launched various initiatives through Ministry of Urban Development for ensuring effective solid waste management at Urban Local Body (ULB) level.
• Moreover, the State was provided a draft framework for the development of its own sanitation strategy under the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (1992) based National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP, 2006). The point was to consider respective peculiar conditions of the State.
• Overall urban hygiene within a city was also attended in the Urban Infrastructure Governance (UIG) component of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). It was meant to provide much needed financial assistance for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT).

             However, the overall results are quite disappointing. Garbage is robbing the “queen of hills” of its beauty.