Minister Sond unveils pilot project to make Punjab garbage-Free

North News

Chandigarh, January 6

Punjab Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Saturday inaugurated a pilot project for door-to-door garbage collection and segregation in Khanna city, marking the state’s first step towards becoming garbage-free. The initiative, costing ₹4 crore, will run for a year, with plans for statewide expansion upon its success.

Sond said the project, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, aims to segregate wet and dry waste at the household level, ensuring no garbage is dumped in public spaces. Unique identification numbers linked to an app will be issued to all residents and businesses, allowing nominal garbage collection fees to be billed via mobile messages. Payments can be made online or offline.

A complaint cell with a toll-free number (1800-121-5721) has been established to address grievances within 60 minutes. Additionally, GPS tracking of garbage collection vehicles will provide live updates to a control room, ensuring accountability.

The project also includes plans to produce fertilizers from wet waste and generate electricity from plastic waste. Sond urged Khanna residents to support the initiative, emphasizing that its success could lead to its replication across Punjab and other Indian states.

“This effort is part of my dream to make Khanna clean and beautiful,” Sond said, expressing gratitude to Mann and his cabinet colleagues for their support.