SRINAGAR: Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, the chief secretary, today requested that a month-long cleaning campaign be conducted at all UT government buildings and educational institutions. The GAD Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture Secretary, both Divisional Commissioners, and all Deputy Commissioners of the UT all attended the meeting. Dr. Mehta made it clear to the officials during a review of the Swachhta Mission in J&K that since our villages have been designated as ODF+ Model categories, it is crucial to make all of our offices clutter-free in addition to boosting their atmosphere and tidying up their surroundings. The Chief Secretary insisted that cleaning should be done professionally to make nearly 50000 workplace spaces, including government school buildings, clean and aesthetically pleasing. In addition to giving these buildings a facelift, which included mowing the grass and whitewashing both the interior and outside, he requested them to install trash cans. He emphasised the need to make the UT “litter-free” by criminalising street littering. The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of making all the necessary preparations at the District and Divisional levels to receive these soil urns and send them onward for the construction of the National monument while reviewing the plans for sending block level Amrit Kalashs to New Delhi under “Meri Maati Mera Desh.” He said that each rural and urban household’s soil had been collected in accordance with the Ministry of Culture’s regulations. Additionally, he requests that all young volunteers travelling to the national capital with their corresponding Amrit Kalashs from their blocks and ULBs be provided with uniform clothing. The timely destruction of documents in government offices was also noted by the Chief Secretary. He noted that by month’s end, the number should increase to 99% from the overall disposal of roughly 96% of files. He demanded that there be no delays beyond the allotted times for each ceremony. He urged all the officials to regularly check the outstanding files in order to identify anyone who has a history of causing unnecessary delays. The Chief Secretary asked the Divisional Administration to maintain reliable electricity supply, rationing, and prompt snow removal during winters while reviewing winter readiness. In metropolitan regions, he ordered the replacement of broken transformers within eight hours, and in rural areas, within twenty-four. He requested that enforcement personnel keep a closer eye on unlawful activity. He said that in addition to taking steps to maintain an uninterrupted power supply to all smart metered residences where AT&C losses are within acceptable limits, the scheduled 8-hour cut in non-metered areas should also be ensured. He requested that an IEC campaign be launched in local and social media to inform people of the advantages of paying their power bills on time. He stated that it is important for people to be informed that borrowing Rs 31000 Cr to pay for energy purchases is having a negative impact on other people-centric policies. He implied that the students at UT are intelligent enough to comprehend and support the administration’s initiatives. The Chief Secretary further urged the relevant district administrations to take all necessary steps to ensure that the winters in this region are bright. He requested that they promptly clear the snow from all the tourist destinations’ access routes so that they can stay open to the public at all times. He also suggested that they furnish these locations with amenities like power and other services without causing any unnecessary inconveniences during the winter. Later, the Chief Secretary went over the celebration of Navratri preparations. He gave the government the go-ahead to implement all necessary procedures to ensure that this festival ran well. He instructed them to ensure that there is constant access to water and electricity in all of the locations where this festival is observed. For all of the days of this festival, he urged the implementation of cleanliness campaigns and other initiatives in the locations where people congregate for the celebration
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