Itanagar, Aug 3: State Governor Lt Gen (Retd) KT Parnaik on Monday presented the prestigious 'Land of the Rising Sun' Medallion for Excellence to Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) Mayor Likha Nari Tadar in recognition of her leadership in improving urban infrastructure and making the state capital cleaner, greener and more citizen-friendly.
The award was presented at Lok Bhavan here in appreciation of the Mayor’s efforts to strengthen civic services, promote cleanliness and sanitation, and enhance the quality of life for residents of the Itanagar Capital Region.
Congratulating the Mayor and Team IMC, the Governor commended their commitment and proactive approach towards strengthening municipal services. He noted that a clean and well-managed city reflects the collective responsibility of both citizens and civic authorities and plays a key role in enhancing the quality of urban life. He encouraged the IMC to continue its people-centric initiatives while embracing innovative and technology-driven solutions for effective urban governance.
Emphasizing that Itanagar should aspire to become a clean, hygienic and sustainable tourism city, the Governor suggested launching a 'Zero Litter Itanagar Mission' with strict enforcement measures, public awareness campaigns, CCTV surveillance, spot fines, and citizen reporting mechanisms to curb littering.
He also stressed the need to achieve 100 per cent waste segregation at source, urging every household, institution, hotel, restaurant and market establishment to separate wet, dry and hazardous waste. Advocating a plastic-free capital, he called for the elimination of single-use plastics and greater use of bamboo, cane and other eco-friendly alternatives available locally.
To boost tourism, the Governor suggested developing tourist-friendly clean corridors from Hollongi Airport to key destinations, equipped with clean public toilets, proper signage, landscaping, street lighting and adequate waste disposal facilities. He further underlined the importance of community participation through Ward Cleanliness Committees, School Green Brigades, youth volunteers and Self-Help Groups to sustain cleanliness initiatives.
The Governor expressed confidence that these initiatives would help position Itanagar among the cleanest state capitals in the Northeast, improve public health, enhance visitor experience, generate tourism opportunities, and contribute to the vision of Viksit Arunachal and Viksit Bharat@2047.
The Mayor briefed the Governor on the various initiatives undertaken by the IMC to improve civic amenities, sanitation, waste management and public services across the Capital Complex. She also highlighted the Corporation's ongoing efforts to strengthen urban infrastructure and create a cleaner, greener and more citizen-friendly city.