Kashmir puts up filthy show under Swachh Bharat Mission

Srinagar, July 8: Kashmir has witnessed poor utilisation of funds under the centrally-sponsored Swacch Bharat Mission in four years of its inception. Official documents reveal that in 2015, Kashmir got a fund share of Rs1.47 crore, of which only Rs 1.14 crore were utilised. Components of the schemes including information Education Communication (IEC) saw an utilisation of only Rs 18 lakh of Rs35.57 lakh. The same year, the state utilised Rs two lakh for administrative and office expenses despite no fund release under this component. Year 2016 witnessed only utilisation of Rs 60 lakh of Rs 6.26 crore released under the scheme for Kashmir. During the year, nearly rupees two lakhs were spent out of Rs2.13crore for the construction of Individual House Hold Latrine (IHHL) in the region. Solid Waste Management component of the scheme in the same year saw zero expenditure out of Rs 3.40 crore released by New Delhi. In the following year 2017, documents reveal that over Rs four crores were unutilised by the state government under this scheme in the valley. The Centre had released Rs 15.42 crore out of which Rs 11.71 crore were spent on sanitation purpose in Kashmir. For the year, no amount was spent out of Rs 30 lakh for the management of solid waste in the valley. The Centre for the current year has released Rs 14.26 crore under the scheme out of which documents reveal that only Rs 1.17 crore were spent so far. Sanitation in Jammu & Kashmir is among the worst in India, with around 59 per cent of households without a toilet. According to the data available on Swachh Bharat Mission dashboard, the state’s sanitation coverage has improved only to 40.97 percent from 20.38 percent in 2014. Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir, Tufail Matto, said lack of delivery from Non-Governmental Organisations incorporated and poor societal role has been witnessed in case of this scheme in Kashmir. “We saw that lot of NGOs have been incorporated in it and they are not in a position to exert the way they should. Further societies should be proactive as seen outside with respect to this scheme,” he said. Matto said the department will intensify its monitoring over various components of the scheme in the valley.