The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday rolled out 'Operation Clean Sweep', a four-week sanitation campaign across municipalities, with Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana asserting that the state is moving towards becoming dump-yard free through waste processing and waste-to-energy initiatives.
Launching the programme in Vijayawada, Narayana participated in sanitation activities alongside civic workers, sweeping roads, painting dividers, and planting saplings. The minister said the campaign aims to strengthen public participation in cleanliness drives and improve sanitation standards in urban local bodies.
Four-Week Schedule
Under the four-week schedule, municipalities will focus on cleaning roads and public spaces during the first week, drainage clearance in the second week, awareness on waste segregation at households and commercial establishments in the third week, and public toilet sanitation in the final week.
Waste Management Progress
Highlighting the state's waste management efforts, Narayana said nearly 85 lakh tonnes of above-ground legacy waste out of an estimated 153 lakh tonnes had been cleared within a year following directions from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The remaining underground waste, he said, is targeted for clearance by the end of June.
Narayana said the government is prioritising waste-to-energy projects as part of its long-term sanitation strategy. While plants are already operational in Visakhapatnam and Guntur regions, construction of six more facilities is under progress and expected to be completed over the next two years. He added that tenders had been invited to ensure regular waste processing in 123 municipalities that currently do not have such facilities, with the process expected to be completed by June-end.
Infrastructure and Equipment
Swachh Andhra Corporation Chairman K Pattabhiram said the state has taken steps to establish eight waste-to-energy plants and 107 waste processing centres, besides strengthening door-to-door garbage collection through the deployment of 2,000 electric vehicles.
Municipal Administration Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar said sanitation cannot remain the sole responsibility of civic workers and called for greater public cooperation. He said Vijayawada's 3,600 sanitation workers were working daily to maintain cleanliness and urged residents to avoid dumping waste on roads and in drains.
Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao appealed to citizens, traders, educational institutions, NGOs, and youth groups to actively participate in the cleanliness campaign, saying public health and development depend on maintaining cleaner cities.
