Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday distributed appointment letters to 63 newly selected sanitation inspectors under the state’s Urban Development Department at the Chief Sevak Sadan in the camp office.
On the occasion, he also virtually laid the foundation stone for a new building of the Urban Development Directorate, which will be constructed at an estimated cost of around Rs. 62 crore. The Chief Minister also flagged off garbage disposal vehicles during the programme.
Addressing the newly appointed inspectors, the Chief Minister said that nearly 30,000 youths have been provided with government jobs in the state over the past four years. Congratulating the candidates selected through the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, he said the appointment marks the beginning of a new responsibility in their lives.
Highlighting the growth of urban local bodies in the state, Dhami said that when Uttarakhand was formed, the state had only 63 urban local bodies. Today, the number has increased to 108, including 11 municipal corporations, 46 municipal councils, and 51 nagar panchayats. He said this expansion reflects how cities have emerged as key centres of development and economic activity.
The Chief Minister said the state government is continuously working to make cities clean, well-organised, and modern. In this effort, urban local bodies play a critical role—from waste management to ensuring the smooth delivery of basic civic services.
He added that urban local bodies are the strongest pillars of a city’s development, while sanitation inspectors form the foundation of the system. Over the past five years, appointment letters have been issued to 63 executive officers, 22 tax and revenue inspectors, and 32 junior engineers in urban bodies to strengthen administrative and technical capacity. The appointment of 63 sanitation inspectors will further enhance the efficiency of municipal institutions, he said.
Dhami expressed hope that the newly appointed inspectors would perform their duties with dedication and integrity and contribute significantly to maintaining cleanliness and better civic management in cities.
The Chief Minister also noted that Uttarakhand is a major centre of faith, spirituality, and tourism. The Char Dham shrines and the sacred rivers Ganga and Yamuna attract lakhs of devotees every year. With the Kumbh Mela scheduled in 2027 and the Char Dham Yatra set to begin next month, maintaining cleanliness and proper arrangements in cities and pilgrimage centres becomes especially important, he said.
He further said the state government is taking several initiatives to modernise and secure urban areas. Efforts are being made to strengthen solid waste management and sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Mission. At the same time, schemes such as the Smart City Mission, Pradhan Mantri SVANidhi Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and AMRUT Mission are helping improve civic infrastructure and services.
Urban Health and Wellness Centres have also been established to improve healthcare access in cities. Shelter schemes are being implemented for stray cattle, while mechanised transfer stations for waste management and Integrated Command and Control Centres for monitoring garbage vehicles have been set up.
To promote environmental sustainability, 30 electric buses are currently operating in the city, along with EV charging stations at 11 locations. Environmental workers contributing significantly to cleanliness and environmental protection are also being encouraged through the ‘Swachhta Sainani Samman’ programme.
Several public representatives and officials, including MLAs Khajan Das, Banshidhar Bhagat, Umesh Sharma Kau, and Savita Kapoor, along with Urban Development Secretary Nitesh Jha, Urban Development Director Vinod Giri Goswami, and Dehradun Municipal Commissioner Namami Bansal, were present on the occasion.
