Leh, June 07: ‘The Union Territory of Ladakh will soon have a state policy on solid waste and plastic waste management.’ This was discussed in the 4^th Advisory Committee of Solid Waste Management meeting chaired by the Commissioner/Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Ajeet Kumar Sahu. The meeting was held to prepare the solid waste strategy and action plan for the Union Territory including the urban as well as the rural areas.

The policy document has been drafted with a vision to make Ladakh a garbage-free, energy-efficient, and carbon neutral waste management region so that it emerges as one of the cleanest regions in the country.

The objective of the UT administration in drafting the policy is to achieve ‘Zero waste’ status through sustainable interventions, innovations, and technology; 100 percent segregation of residential and commercial waste at the source along with the processing of the segregated waste; 100 percent door-to-door collection of solid waste from all properties; integrated waste management (Centralized and Decentralized) for Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable waste leading to minimum disposal at Sanitary Landfill; Management of C & D waste and recycling;  elimination of any secondary waste collection points to achieve the bin-free city; achieving and sustaining high swacchata and garbage free cities ranking at the national level, and solid waste management infrastructure compatible to extreme cold/dry climate.

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In the meeting, the Commissioner/Secretary, H&UDD, Ajeet Kumar Sahu said that the policy guidelines must be developed to support behavioral change in individuals, households, and institutions to reduce waste generations. He said that the behavioural change should be a major policy intervention.

Further, the Commissioner/Secretary said that the policy must include the identification, enrolment, and regulation of Rag- pickers and waste dealers. The Rag-pickers in the Union Territory should be given identity cards and uniforms, he added.  

To achieve 100 percent door-to-door collection of solid waste, the Commissioner/Secretary, Ajeet Kumar Sahu said that it will be the responsibility of the landlords to notify the municipality if their tenant’s waste was getting collected or not.

Emphasizing the importance of building the dignity and well-being of sanitation workers including Rag-pickers, the Secretary, Rural Development Department, Saugat Biswas highlighted the need to incorporate into the policy regular health check-ups, uniforms, and protective gear for the Sanitation workers and Rag-pickers.

The meeting was attended by Secretary, Rural Development Department; Chief Wildlife Warden, UT Ladakh; Deputy Commissioner Leh/Kargil; Director H&UDD, Project Manager, PMU for Smart City; Infrastructure Consultant, and Consultant agency officials.