Citizens Turn Up Heat on Waste Crisis, Launch ‘Safai Mitra’ App to Fix Dehradun’s Garbage Mess
Dehradun: Garbage piles and waste burning continue to haunt Dehradun. Angry citizens have now taken matters into their own hands. The Dehradun Citizens Forum launched the Safai Mitra app to fix accountability gaps.
They say promises by the Municipal Corporation remain largely on paper.
Safai Mitra, aimed at tightening accountability in the city’s waste management system.
Addressing the media, Forum member Jagmohan Mendiratta said the group has evolved into a strong, democratic platform bringing together professionals, ex-servicemen, doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs.
“We are a flat, community-driven collective with no rigid hierarchies. Our strength lies in collective action and shared concern for the city’s future,” he said.
Echoing the growing public frustration, Retu Chatterjee underlined that despite sustained engagement with authorities over the past year, visible improvements remain elusive.
“Commitments were made in multiple meetings, but citizens are still waiting to see meaningful, measurable change on the ground,” she remarked.
Detailing the Forum’s continued outreach, Ramana Kumar and Nitin Shah pointed out that while communication channels with the Municipal Corporation exist, execution remains the weakest link.
“There is no dearth of dialogue, but implementation and follow-through have been consistently lacking,” they said, reflecting rising public disillusionment.
Taking a sharp dig at civic authorities, Anoop Nautiyal described the situation as one of “shifting goalposts and broken promises” by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation.
“Safai Mitra is not meant to replace existing systems but to strengthen citizen participation and improve last-mile accountability,” he clarified, citing multiple reports highlighting repeated assurances on cleanliness that failed to translate into action.
The newly launched Safai Mitra app—developed in collaboration with Convergent Defence Foundation—was introduced by its founders Major Ritesh Uniyal and Prashant Uniyal.
They explained that the platform enables citizens to report garbage piles, missed collections, and waste burning incidents through a simple interface, with complaints directly routed to concerned authorities.
“We will continue to expand the app’s functionality based on citizen feedback to make it more robust and responsive,” they added.
The Forum also made it clear that while citizen-led initiatives are important, they cannot substitute systemic governance. Members urged the Municipal Corporation and the Mayor’s office to treat the initiative as an opportunity to rebuild public trust through timely and visible action.
Concluding the press meet, Bharti Jain thanked the media and participants, stressing that the time for assurances is over. “What Dehradun needs now is consistent, time-bound action on the ground,” she said.
Among others present were Shankar Dutt Uniyal, Rinku Singh, Jaya Singh, Devendra Kandpal, Shishir Prashant, Dr Sumeet Goyal, Abhishek Bhatt and Praveen Upreti.
The Forum reiterated that building a clean and livable Dehradun will require both active citizen participation and firm administrative accountability—warning that without urgent corrective steps, the city’s waste crisis will only deepen.
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