MUZAFFARABAD: In order to arrest unlawful constructions, upgrade the standards of hygiene and cleanliness, remove encroachments from along the main arteries and ensure smooth flow of traffic in Muzaffarabad district, a 14-week long phased campaign has been chalked out by the district administration in the light of the guidelines by the newly-installed PTI government, an official said on Sunday.

In the first phase, a week-long cleanliness drive would kick off from outside the office of Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad (MCM) at 10am on Monday, said Deputy Commissioner Muzaffarabad Nadim Ahmed Janjua.

Three AJK ministers – minister for local government and rural development Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, minister for finance and inland revenue Abdul Majid Khan and minister for planning and development Chaudhry Mohammad Rashid – would also make it to the inaugural ceremony, apart from senior civil servants and representatives of civil society, he said.

Mr Janjua,who is also holding the dual charge of administrator MCM, maintained that while the civic body of the capital would be the key actor, all other departments and institutions had also been taken on board to secure maximum results from the campaign.

“We have designed this campaign in such a way that it will not only yield results on the grounds but will also help create awareness, rebuild the largely lost trust between the citizens and public servants and promote participatory approach among all stakeholders,” he said while talking to Dawn.

The deputy commissioner said he had also launched a campaign on social media to solicit involvement and ownership of the general public in this vital campaign.

“If we keep our houses clean, we ought to keep the surrounding areas of our abodes equally clean,” he said,expressing thehope that every citizen, from all age groups and genders,would make this ‘clean Muzaffarabad campaign’ a success.

Mr Janjua said he had divided Muzaffarabad and its peripheries into 13 zones to smoothly achieve the set goals.

In all zones, officers of different departments had been designated as team leaders to carry out the assigned tasks, he said. Apart from them, officers of tehsil and district administrations had been appointed as duty magistrates to monitor and supervise the workforce, maintain liaison with police and other stakeholders and ensure law and order, he added.

Mr Janjua said Additional Deputy Commissioner Asim Khalid Awan would be responsible for overall monitoring and supervision of the campaign, adding that he had also set up a control room in his office to help the execution teams to seek general guidance or assistance in case of any unusual eventuality.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2021