JAIPUR: The state government would be spending Rs 100 crore on
repairing city roads and keeping clean 184 municipal towns of Rajasthan.
After chief minister Ashok Gehlot
expressed his ire over the broken roads and filth-filled streets of
Jaipur, the municipal bodies across the state have been directed to
accord priority to hygiene and safety.

State chief secretary Salauddin Ahmed met senior UDH
officials, municipal officials and engineers for this purpose on
Monday. “The officials have been told to speed up road repairss and
clean the cities. I shall be monitoring the work to ensure that quality
is not compromised,” Ahmed said after the meeting.

GS Sandhu,
principal secretary (UDH), said, “Wherever needed, the municipalities
will be provided extra staff to speed up work. The local bodies have
been permitted to outsource the work if they are short of staff.” At the
same time, thel officials were warned of strict disciplinary action
against them if there was laxity.

Sandhu added some private
companies were in touch with the government to collect and dispose the
garbage. “These companies just want us to provide them the land where
they can process and recycle the collected garbage. They won’t charge
for collecting the garbage from around the cities and transporting it,”
the officer said, stating outsourcing the work would be beneficial.

The UDH principal secretary emphasised that from now on the district
collectors, the Rajasthan housing board officials and agencies like
RUIDP would be involved in maintaining roads and keeping the cities
clean. “The housing board has been asked to identify the towns where it
can take up responsibilities,” Sandhu said.

Meanwhile, the
hotel, restaurant and sweetshop owners would be made to maintain
cleanliness around their establishments or face penalties for defacing
the public places.