Sir,

It is heartening to note that our beloved city has been adjudged as 3rd cleanest city (in 3 to 10 lakh population category) and all of us deserve to be congratulated.

While Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) deserves to be congratulated for projecting the city, we need to introspect whether we deserve this tag. Because we see garbage everywhere in the streets and most of the roads are dug up for months.

The accolades given to us needs to be protected, if need to be improved. As citizens we have added responsibility. I have some suggestions to make:

1. We need to ensure that we reduce usage of plastic as plastic clogs drains.

2. We should not throw garbage on streets, I have seen during my morning walk, people come in luxurious cars and throw garbage in plastic cover on street and drive away. Even though MCC is picking up garbage from homes, this approach by citizens should be stopped, even penalising severely.

3. We should monitor street food vendors. Give them license and allot them specific place in an area. They should ensure that the place surrounding them is not littered. Their license should be cancelled in case they fail to keep their surroundings neat. I have seen garbage everywhere in and around our famous Mysore Palace during morning hours.

4. Now that we have no elected Corporators, our people’s representatives (MLAs and MLCs) must visit each Ward randomly and ensure that the place is kept neat. If possible MCC should have a competition for Wards for their cleanliness.

5. An incentive system may be given to Pourakarmikas for keeping their Wards neat.

We can enumerate many suggestions but until we as citizens want our surroundings and city to be neat it is not possible for the authorities to implement the suggestions.

—HNN Murthy

Mysuru

18.7.2025