The 4th Advisory Committee of Solid Waste Management 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 on June 7.

The meeting was chaired by the Commissioner/Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Ajeet Kumar Sahu.

It was stated that Ladakh will soon have a state policy on solid waste and plastic waste management. 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

Commissioner/Secretary, Ajeet Kumar Sahu said that the policy guidelines must be developed to support behavioral changes in individuals, households, and institutions to reduce waste generation. He said that behavioral change should be a major policy intervention.

He 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 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, 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.