For the first time, “Swachhata Marshals” will be appointed in every ward of Chandigarh to strengthen public participation, monitoring and compliance with waste segregation norms.
The decision was taken during a workshop organised by the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh on the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules-2026 and the promotion of waste segregation at source.
The workshop was chaired by Mayor Saurabh Joshi in the presence of MC Commissioner Amit Kumar, Joint Commissioner Balbir Raj Singh, Chief Engineer Sanjay Arora, Medical Officer of Health Dr Inderdeep Kaur and other senior officials.
It was also decided during the workshop that ward-level awareness camps involving all stakeholders would soon be organised across the city.
Mayor Saurabh Joshi emphasised the importance of community participation and directed officials to appoint Swachhata Marshals in every ward for awareness generation and enforcement support. He appealed to residents and commercial establishments to actively cooperate with the civic body in making Chandigarh cleaner and environmentally sustainable.
The Mayor also highlighted key provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules-2026, including mandatory source segregation, scientific solid waste management with a complete ban on open dumping, accountability of bulk waste generators, implementation of the “Polluter Pays Principle” through user charges and enforcement measures, and digital monitoring with transparent reporting mechanisms for effective waste management across the city.
The workshop was attended by councillors Prem Lata, Poonam, Taruna Mehta, Sarbjit Kaur, Harpreet Kaur Babla, Bimla Dubey, Jasbir Singh Bunty, Gurpreet Singh Gabbi, Sachin Galav, Dr Mohinder Kaur, Geeta Chauhan, Damanpreet Singh, Naresh Panchal and Lakhbir Singh.
During the discussion, councillors highlighted several sanitation and waste management issues, including improper disposal of flower waste in various parts of the city, especially near temples, waste accumulation around bus stands, hotels, dhabas and vulnerable garbage points in Daria.
Concerns regarding door-to-door garbage collection, cleanliness of back lanes, monitoring of sanitation staff, and waste segregation in PG accommodations and rented houses were also discussed.
Issues related to waste generated by juice vendors, non-vegetarian sale units, langar organisers, boutiques and tailoring shops were also raised during the deliberations.
