Chief secretary SS Sandhu said that district magistrates need to be innovative to tackle Waste Management issues in their respective districts. He directed them to prepare a site-specific plan to manage sanitation issues across the district rather than following a single action plan for the whole district.
Sandhu said this while presiding over a meeting at the secretariat with all district magistrates regarding the action plan for Solid Waste Management and preventing the use of single-use plastic across the State. He directed the District Administration to prepare an action plan to tackle waste management issues in forest, rural and urban areas and ensure its 100 per cent implementation. He also directed the officials to consider completely banning single-use plastic products during Char Dham Yatra. The chief secretary further directed the officials to conduct awareness campaigns in villages against single-use plastic and waste management. He said that the officials concerned should also focus on promoting the alternative to plastic to prevent the usage of banned plastic items. He directed them to make plans with self-help groups to promote such alternative products across the state. He also directed the officials to focus on making cleanliness and proper waste management a part of the daily routine of locals rather than presenting it as a special campaign occasionally. He also directed the DMs to coordinate with manufacturers and traders to ensure the compliance of orders for proper collection and disposal of prohibited plastic products.