In the latest ‘Swachh Survekshan’ ranking issued by the Ministry of Urban Development, Ghaziabad fared badly yet again and secured a dismal 351st spot of a total of 434 cities that were surveyed. In 2016, Ghaziabad ranked 67th among 73 cities. The rankings, commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development during January-February 2017, aimed at capturing the improvement in sanitation, primarily based on making cities and town open defecation free and also on the basis of processing of municipal solid waste. According to the latest ranking, a total of 62 cities from Uttar Pradesh competed and Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of PM Narendra Modi, emerged as the top city in the state. The remote town of Loni fared better than Ghaziabad and was ranked 331. Modi Nagar was ranked 360. Nearby Hapur district secured the 424th spot. The city scored a total of 672 with 374 points out of 900 for self-declaration of cleanliness measures (solid waste management including door-to
Independent Schools’ Federation of India is observing a ‘token strike’ on Thursday against the district administration’s order to set up the committee to scrutinise their accounts. The committee is to look into the schools’ accounts and investigate other complaints forwarded by parents and associations. An association of private schools in Ghaziabad has decided to shut nearly 128 schools on Thursday as a mark of protest against the district administration’s decision to set up a committee to inquire into allegations of the unjustified fee hike. The committee comprises the additional district magistrate (finance), district inspector of schools and the basic education officer. The president of the Independent Schools’ Federation of India (ISFI) on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the district officials and said that 128 private schools will observe a ‘token strike’ on Thursday against the district administration’s order to set up the committee. The committee is to look in