For a facelift: Cleanliness drive kicks off in Swat from Monday

DC takes decision following complaints from locals.

MINGORA: The district administration of Swat has announced a cleanliness campaign which will start from Monday.

“The campaign will initially be carried out for a week, but efforts will continue to ensure cleanliness in the valley,” said Swat DC Mahmood Aslam Wazir, who will supervise the campaign, while issuing the directions from his office.

The announcement has been made after people in Swat complained about dirt and garbage lining the streets of Mingora and other major towns of the valley. “Mingora, which is the financial hub of Swat and the gateway to the valley, has become very congested and dirty,” said a local, Tajdar Khan.

Seeing the current state of the city and the valley on the whole, locals recalled how the area used to be spick and span during the time of the Wali of Swat. “There was once a time when Mingora was a model city and people from outside Swat would cite it as an example,” said an elder in Saidu Sharif, Abdul Hadi. “The Wali would visit the city regularly and he even fined those shopkeepers whose shops were unclean.”

The DC urged people to assist the district administration in keeping the scenic valley clean and make it a habit to maintain cleanliness. Locals stressed the district administration and the municipal corporation should also take steps to clean the two water streams running through Mingora.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2015.