Panchkula Fights Back: Year-Long Cleanliness Drive Launched

Panchkula has embarked on an ambitious year-long behaviour change communication campaign aimed at enhancing city-wide cleanliness and scientific waste management. This initiative is a direct response to the municipal corporation's worst-ever performance in the recent Swachh Survekshan survey.

The campaign will heavily focus on citizen involvement, encouraging practices such as home composting, ensuring door-to-door garbage collection, and promoting source segregation of waste. Prevention of garbage burning and improved sanitation are also key components.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0, extensive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities are planned across all 20 wards. These efforts will align with Solid Waste Management, Plastic Waste Management, and Construction & Demolition Waste Management Rules.

Panchkula's ranking in the Swachh Survekshan survey fell from 139th to 219th among cities with over 1 lakh population, and from 3rd to 22nd within Haryana. Officials attribute this decline to gaps in waste segregation, processing, and citizen engagement.

An external agency or NGO will be selected to conduct various outreach activities, including door-to-door campaigns, street plays, workshops, and distribution of informational materials. The project also includes plans for radio jingles, wall paintings, short films, and outdoor branding.

Special attention will be given to creating zero-waste model wards, strengthening Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) centres, and developing eco-parks from waste materials. The campaign is slated to run for 12 months, with a possible extension by another year.

Despite the new campaign, the municipal corporation faces ongoing operational challenges. These include clearing the Sector 23 dumping site, ensuring regular waste lifting from the former Jhuriwala dumping point, and operationalizing the newly built material recovery facility.