Zero Waste towards Swachh Bharat

An exhibition on Sanitation and Zero Waste Management completed a successful run here at Titanic Park Gangtok on Friday, 31 October. The exhibition, organised by the Rural Management & Development Department under the Swachh Bharat Mission saw the participation of various NGOs, SHGs, students and individuals.
A stall has been put up by the Zero Waste Himalayas which promotes management of waste on the concept of zero waste. Various waste related data of Sikkim and the harm they are causing, with solution as to what can be done is displayed though posters and charts.
Another stall by Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee, Yuksam, a leading NGO working on Zero Waste, has come up with various products made out of waste and also hands on demonstration on making various product out of waste such as making bags out of old T-shirts, pens of discarded magazines etc. Similarly products made out of waste by SHGs, students and individuals are displayed.
Omi Gurung, a well known designer of products made out of waste, has also put up a stall.
In addition to the above, various other activities such as display of videos on zero waste and sanitation, skits and song performances by students, cleanathaon by students and NGOs are being organized.
Students of Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School Eco-Club organised cleanathon at MG Marg upto Namnang and Tharo Line upto Denzong Cinema on 29 October. The feat was again repeated on 30 October as MG Marg was again found littered with remains of firecrackers which formed part of Chhat Puja celebrations the previous night.
Spot-fixing which is essentially a mob cleaning of a dirty spot also called the “dark spot” was organized at NamNang view point and was participated by NGOs like Subha Laxmi Social Organisation, Arithang Mahila Kalyankari Sangh, Deorali Samaj Kalyan Sangh, Dichen Choling Gumpa etc.
Spot fixing was also conducted on 30 October at Lall Bazaar by Deorali Samaj Kalyan Sangh. The objective is to involve the various social organisations towards Swachh Bharat Mission.
It may be mentioned here that after attaining Nirmal Rajya status in the year 2008, the RM&DD has been focussing on waste management and has taken various initiatives to address the issue of waste management in the rural areas and adopted the concept of Zero Waste Management which is most suited in the context of Sikkim. The Department has been providing various trainings, awareness etc on zero waste along with other likeminded groups and NGOs as a result of which many activities have been happening around the state. This exhibition was an effort by the Department to consolidate these efforts and trigger an exchange of ideas among the various stakeholders and generate awareness among the lay people and also to encourage people and SHGs to adopt waste-to-resource as a commercially viable activity.
[from Satyen Pradhan, Deputy Secretary (Sanitation), RM&DD]

Bojoghari towards Clean India through Clean Schools

Bojoghari Senior Secondary School organized a sanitation drive as part of its contribution to the Swachh Bharat, Swachh Vidyalaya Mission 2014 on 31 October 2014. The programme, organized on the initiative of the principal Asha Khatri, included members of Zero Waste Himalaya Group, volunteers   from GREF, SMC and SMDC members as well as teachers and students of Bojoghari SSS.
The first part of the program began with a skit by the Waste Management Club of the school on ways to manage waste and litter. Norzee Bhutia, Coordinator of Zero Waste Himalaya Group spoke on the principles of waste management – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The students then took an oath to serve the country by keeping their school and locality neat and clean.
The cleanliness drive, which was the second phase, was held in the afternoon and included cleaning of the school campus, creation of a gallery in the school ground and clearing of drains by the teachers, students as well as SMC and SMDC members.

Namchi safai for Swachh Bharat

NAMCHI, 17 Oct [IPR]: A clean up drive at the Car Parking Plaza here under the National Sanitation Campaign was organized on Friday by RM&DD in coordination with Namchi Municipal Corporation for Swachh Bharat Mission, Swachh Namchi. UD&HD Minister NK Subba was present as chief guest accompanied by STDC Chairperson RN Rai, Chairperson Scheduled Tribe Welfare Board Lama Pem Tshering Bhutia, Advisor to the PHE Department Binod Rai alongside Zilla Adhakshya (South) CL Gurung, DC (South) Prabhakar Verma, ADC (Dev) Benu Gurung, Nodal officers from various Departments and members of Local and Mainline Taxi Drivers Association, Fire Brigade and Business Community.
Addressing the gathering, the chief guest underlined the importance of Swachh Bharat Mission. He emphasized that each one’s assistance will be essential in making Swachh Bharat Mission successful. Mr. Subba also suggested formation of a smaller committee from the bazaar area to monitor cleanliness. Mr. Subba informed the gathering that due to rise in population, an efficient and effective waste disposal system should be put in place by the authorities. The Minister also spoke about the importance of the use of dustbins and segregation of waste.
In addition, Mr. Subba spoke about the various amenities required at the plaza and if the amenities were available upgradation of the same to be done. He also spoke about the Nirmal Rajya Award that the state has acquired along with encouraging the gathering to work towards maintaining and sustaining Swachh Bharat Mission in the state through various awareness and reliable programs.
Subsequently, the Minister along with a team of officials conducted a thorough inspection of various parts of Namchi such as the Car Parking Plaza, Central Park, Kazitar Children’s Park, Krishi Bazaar, Dambu Dara. The Minister interacted with the various vendors and highlighted the need to ensure quality control standards laid down for the vendors.
DC (South) welcomed the gathering and spoke about the importance of Swachh Bharat Mission and the commitment to devote 100 hours a year towards cleanliness.