Noida Authority conducted a survey and conferred Swachh test ranking awards, Swachh Survekshan 2023, to top three RWAs, AOAs, hospitals, schools, market associations, hotels, government offices and villages. The awards in all the eight categories were given for best practices in cleanliness adopted by the above organizations/establishment. RWA 15A, Homes121, Kailash hospital, Shiv Nadar School, Radisson Hotel, NTPC and Bishanpura village stood ‘first’ in their respective category. In the market association category, Central Market-50 bagged the 2nd position after Brahmaputra Shopping Complex on 1st position.
Although, it is a matter of pride for residents of Sector-50 to get the coveted position/tag for its market, but the question is “Is it really so clean to deserve the award?”
The answer can be derived from the views of the people frequently visiting the so-called Swachh market. The irony of the issue is that only few months back unauthorized vendors were displaced from the market and reestablished in vendors’ zone nearby alongside green belt adjacent to Rail Nagar in Sector-50 itself. One may still see few of them in parking area and opposite shops. few months ago one of the residents tweeted pictures of filth all around in the Central Market. (Pic: tweet msg) But Noida Authority instead of getting the market cleaned, and fixing the responsibility of officials concerned, awarded the market as Swachh.
Swachh Sarvekshan 2023 should be and ought to be considered on priority by every citizen to take pride in making Noida as No 1 city in its category decided by the Ministry of Urban Development GOI. But it seems Noida Authority is compromising on the standard and parameters of cleanliness test by simply giving awards and rewards which seem to be dubious (in our case).
It is beyond imagination that the filth and garbage scattered all over the market is visible to all passers-by but not to the Noida Authority and Market Association which has made its Control Room just close to the trash dump. (Pic: Garbage in 50). Many good wishes posters and banners put by the market association are of no good if the market does not have Swachh look.
PVVNL that supplies electricity to the sector including market, although not directly under the control of Noida Authority, is equally responsible to maintain their transformer enclosures and keep clean their surroundings for safety too.
