Namchi Municipal Council (NMC) organizes Swachha Shahar Abhiyan with SHGs, school children and general public of Namchi.

NMC also holds award ceremony for best driver, best safamitra, and best labour during the event. The event themed ‘safai apnao bimaari bhagao’, incorporates ‘Sikkim against garbage’ of State government in today’s event.

NMC in the event included dance competition and poem recitation competition with schools from Namchi. The primary students of Kinchin Castle Academy, Ark Academy, PM Shri Girls School, Old Primary School, Purano Namchi School participated in dance competition. And the students of New Senior Secondary School, Boys Senior Secondary School, Purano Namchi School, Ark Academy, and PM Shri Girls School participates in poem recitation.

The SHGs from Boomtar and Tinzir presented with a group song and a skit – Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan, respectively.

The councillor of Upper Ghurpisey, Pem Norbu Bhutia says that the public of Namchi is seen lacking common grounds of garbage collection services because of smaller alley and bigger trucks. The people are disposing their garbage in drainage and isolated areas of the town. This year, the number of stray dogs has increased in the town, adding to the possible widespread of diseases. The most unclean areas of the town come from spitting paan and open urination in numerous places.

During his visit to Chardham Namchi on August 12, chief minister Prem Singh Tamang, advised NMC councillors to make Namchi a cleaner town. Furthermore, the chief minister advised the councillors to recruit farmers for cleanliness staffs. The chief minister is ready to provide financial assistance to the council, if required.

The nodal Officer of ‘single use plastics’ event says 22 items are banned in Namchi as per the direction of the Government of India. He explains the diseases of typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis, cancer are causes of single use plastics. The behavioral change and source segregation are the first steps to eliminate single use plastics. The elimination of single use plastics will allow the elimination of dry waste through recycling.

The Sanitization Inspector NMC, Shyamel Tamang, says the public participations in cleanliness is growing after numerous awareness and public outreach programmes. In accordance to public feedback to Swaccha Bharat Mission, in the past year, Namchi lost its rank. The dustbins in the town is meant for the tourists only, not the locals. But hoteliers are disposing their garbage in them. NMC is issuing fines to the people for throwing garbage in the town. Namchi drainage are going in blockage because of the garbage in open spaces.

The former Chairman of Building and Housing Department, Tashi Dorjee Tamang, suggested the organizers to take the event in public places. He says that Bazaar Committee of Namchi donot support in any initiatives of the town, including cleanliness. And welcomes the Incharge MEO, Rajiv Rai, to his post. Tashi Dorjee Tamang suggested NMC to take strict action against the dog owners for littering the town. He highlighted the message of the chief minister PS Tamang, to make Namchi more clean, and said that SKM party will always support NMC for the cause.

NMC Bazaar Inspector Margaret Rai appeals positive feedback in Swachhatah App. She is also the Nodal Officer of SBM, for NMC. She shares that the SHGs from Namchi has been of very great help to all SBM programmes. Currently, the garbage fees of the seven wards of NMC are being collected by the SHGs of the respective wards.