Civic body tells councillors to preach clean habits

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh municipal corporation convened a special meeting of all councillors on Friday to mark World Environment Day and enforce the provisions of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026. Municipal commissioner Amit Kumar led the session to sensitise local stakeholders, emphasising that effective waste management is essential to safeguard public health.The core operational focus centered on a detailed presentation mandating the citywide implementation of four-stream source segregation of waste. The presentation outlined strict new guidelines for scientific collection and transportation systems, resource recovery, recycling, and sustainable disposal practices.The council also deliberated on mandatory compliance strategies following strict directions issued by the Supreme Court regarding solid waste management. To ensure these legal orders are met, the MC decided to immediately intensify ward-level awareness and outreach programmes through enhanced public participation.These grassroot campaigns will focus on educating citizens about the core objectives of the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U) 2.0. Key targets under the mission include visible cleanliness, source segregation, processing, scientific disposal of municipal waste, ongoing project implementation, and the remediation of legacy waste.Concluding the meet, Kumar stated that environmental protection cannot be achieved through govt efforts alone and requires active civic participation. He explicitly urged all attending councillors to act as personal ambassadors of environmental stewardship by promoting responsible waste practices and driving behavioural change across their respective wards.