Date:-January 21, 2018 … Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I/C) for Housing and Urban Affairs along with the Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Manohar Parrikar today launched the ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’ in Goa at Old Secretariat in the city today.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said response to Swachh Bharat Mission campaign in Goa has been huge and Goa has contributed a lot and that is the reason they have decided to launch protocol in Goa.. The youth in the city are spreading awareness on what each one of them can do individually and collectively to keep clean Goa he added.
Shri Parrikar addressing the gathering expressed happiness over the Launching of Star Rating of Garbage free Cities in Goa and said that by October 2018 in Goa ODF will be free at least in urban areas and in 2019 seven star will be fully on way in Goa
The star-rating initiative, developed by the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban would be rating cities on a 7-star rating system based on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid waste management, which will include Door to Door Collection, bulk generator compliance, source segregation, sweeping, scientific processing of waste, scientific land filling, plastic waste management, construction and demolition management, dump remediation & citizen grievance redressal system etc.
Cities can be rated as 1, 2,3,4,5 and 7 star based on their compliance with the protocol conditions specified for each of the rating. Further city should be ODF (Open Defecation Free) before it could be given rating of 3 star or above. While cities may self-declare themselves as 1-star, 2-star or 4-star, MoHUA will carry out an additional verification through an independent third party to certify cities as 3-star, 5-star or 7-star. Cities will need to get recertified themselves every year to retain their star-status.
The most significant feature of the rating protocol is that it provides stakeholders with a single metric to rate a city’s cleanliness, rather than separately evaluating multiple factors which contribute to a city’s overall cleanliness and garbage free status. The SMART rating (Single metric, Measurable, Achievable, Rigorous verification, Targeted towards outcomes) is characterized by Trust and verify model and sustainability (progressive and to be recertified every year). The protocol will involve the participation of all stakeholders and common people to aspire for higher grading in cleanliness.
The Swachh Survekshan survey run by the SBM Urban for the past three years has successfully built up a spirit of healthy competition among cities, vying with each other every year to improve their ranking as compared to other cities. The distinctive feature of Star Rating System will be that many cities can have higher stars as compared to only one city can be “Cleanest city” under Swachh Survekshan.
SBM-Urban’s objective of achieving a ‘clean India’ is encapsulated in the Vision statement of the star-rating protocol, stating that “All cities achieve “Garbage Free” status wherein at any point of time in the day, no garbage or little is found in any public, commercial or residential locations (including storm drains and water bodies) in the city (except in litter bins or transfer stations), 100 per cent of waste generated is scientifically managed , all legacy waste has been remediated and city is scientifically managing its municipal solid waste, plastic waste and construction & demolition waste. Additionally, there must be a steady reduction in the waste generated by the city and visible beautification of the city to achieve a clean and aesthetically pleasing city”. It is expected that the Star-rating initiative will be another effective tool for achieving the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission of “Open Defection Free”(ODF)and Garbage Free India”
Secretary Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Chief Secretary Shri Dharmendra Sharma, Minister for Urban Development Shri Francis D’Souza, Joint Secretary (SBM) GOL Shri Vinod Kumar Jindal, Director Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited were present along with other Government Officials.
