Swachh Survekshan 2024-25: Pimpri-Chinchwad named cleanest city in Maharashtra
President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at a ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday. Union minister Manohar Lal and Minister of State (MoS), ministry of housing and urban affairs, Tokhan Sahu attended the event. This year's survey, the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, covered more than 4,500 cities and recorded participation from over 14 crore citizens.
Pimpri-Chinchwad scored 11,782 points and outperformed Pune, ranked eighth with 11,653 points, and Thane, which stood at 15th place with 10,836 points. The top position in the category in the country was held by Ahmedabad, followed by Bhopal and Lucknow. Civic officials said retention of 7-Star Garbage Free City status was result of implementation of scientific solid waste processing at the source and decentralised waste treatment across all wards. Door-to-door segregated collection, composting units, recycling plants, and biogas facilities contributed to the milestone.
The city once again earned the Water Plus certification, reflecting its 100% compliance with wastewater management and other efforts.
Shekhar Singh, Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner, said, 'The recognition is proof to Pimpri-Chinchwad's sustained and inclusive efforts.'
Vijaykumar Khorate, additional PCMC commissioner, said, 'Our next focus will be on zero waste policies, sustainable sanitation, water reuse, and building an environmentally responsible urban ecosystem.'
Sachin Pawar, deputy commissioner (health), said, 'We are determined to work harder and aim to bring Pimpri-Chinchwad to the top national position in the next survey.'
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News18
an hour ago
- News18
Shillong bags Promising Swachh Shehar award at Swachh Survekshan 2024-25
Shillong, Jul 21 (PTI) Shillong has earned the title of 'Promising Swachh Shehar of State/UT' under Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 Awards, marking a remarkable turnaround in the city's urban sanitation journey, officials said on Monday. The Meghalaya capital had been trailing in national rankings for years before emerging as a frontrunner this year. The recognition was announced as part of the nationwide Swachh Survekshan initiative conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), government of India. According to officials, the award reflects sustained efforts of the Shillong Municipal Board, along with active public participation and awareness drives that have helped improve the city's waste management systems and sanitation standards. Reacting to the honour, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said it reflects the state government's strong commitment to improve. He told PTI, 'This award reflects our strong commitment to building clean, green, and sustainable urban spaces in Meghalaya. The city has shown significant improvement in key indicators such as door-to-door waste collection, processing of waste, citizen feedback, and public cleanliness." The award marks a significant shift in Shillong's Swachh Survekshan performance over the years. The city ranked 371st in 2021 and 348th in 2022, and was listed among the bottom-tier cities in 2023. The Swachh Survekshan, launched under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), is the world's largest urban cleanliness survey and aims to foster healthy competition among cities to improve sanitation outcomes. Shillong's recognition is seen as a major boost for Meghalaya's ongoing efforts to promote a cleaner and healthier environment across urban centres. PTI JOP MNB (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 17:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
100% shocker: Swachh marks for water bodies cleanliness in Panchkula do not match actual conditions
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But, eyebrows are being raised over these visits, which also had to capture photographs and videos at the sampled locations, as the dirty condition of these water bodies is quite visible. It's not just residents' concern; there are govt reports too highlighting how polluted rivers and drains are in the city. "Not even one out of the eleven parameters for judging water body cleanliness is being fulfilled at Panchkula. Yet, we are scoring 100 per cent marks. This can't even be a joke being played on the residents of Panchkula. So much for the authenticity and integrity of the Swachh Survekshan 2024-2025," commented Mohit Gupta, co-founder of the Save Ghaggar Campaign and founder of Solution Box. According to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Panchkula, in February this year, it found that the Ghaggar River, before meeting Sukhna Choe in Panchkula, had a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) level of 9.8 mg/L and a Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) level of 56 mg/L. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As per norms, for rivers, the ideal BOD level for healthy water bodies should be 3 mg/L or less, while COD levels should ideally be below 10 mg/L. However, the levels are exceeded by high margins in the district, raising health and environmental concerns. Similar is the plight of drains here, but it seemed to have been ignored by the Swachh inspection team. The sorry state of affairs in terms of cleanliness is no secret in Ghaggar, where all sorts of garbage and other religious and non-religious items are thrown and dumped by people from different parts of Panchkula and adjoining areas. The situation is so bad that, after losing hope in the district authorities about cleanliness, some residents are themselves carrying out cleanliness drives here under the Save Ghaggar Campaign. Even garbage can be seen flowing in drains and other rivers with dirty water. "It raises questions on the marking process for this category. Last year also they gave the same 100 per cent marks for the cleanliness of water bodies. Does the team not do ground inspection? Or do they not follow govt department reports? The water bodies have alarming BOD and COD levels and have huge waste dumps inside and at their banks. I will take up the issue with the authorities carrying out the survey, which is totally bereft of ground reality," said Tapasaya Sharma, co-founder of the Save Ghaggar Campaign. "Even the flow of natural nallahs is in complete disarray. Whether the nallahs flowing from Sector 2 or Sector 17/7, they are very dirty. Water bodies here have a permanent brown colour. Whether it is Nada or Nandana Choe, they have leachate. Sewerage is released in the nallahs near Mata Mansa Devi temple. There are even NGT reports about industrial waste being released in Ghaggar. I fail to understand how all this can be overlooked in the survey," added Mohit Gupta. However, President of the Federation of Residents Association (FORA), RP Malhotra, felt putting up of nets on old Ghaggar river bridge has helped stopping throwing of waste from the road. It may be mentioned here the city overall performed its worst ever securing 219th rank nationally and 22nd rank in state. Cleanliness of water bodies category: Scheme of marking: - Are the water bodies free from solid waste, water weeds, or any other pollutants (40/40 marks) - Is the area around all water bodies clean, well-maintained, and free from any open garbage sites or dumps within a 500-metre radius (40/40 marks) - Do the water bodies have twin bins in place to eliminate the accumulation of garbage/waste in and around them, along with anti-littering messages/signage (40/40 marks) - Is at least one body aesthetically pleasing, with the surrounding area beautified to include pavements for public use, trees, and branches (30/30 marks) MSID:: 122781697 413 | Panchkula: Full 100 per cent marks in the 'cleanliness of water bodies' category came as a big surprise in the recent Swachh Survekshan, as none of the parameters match the scoring, raising questions on the marking process of the nationwide survey conducted here. According to the Swachh Survekshan Toolkit, the objective of the indicator is to ensure that the "water bodies are clean, pollutant-free, well-maintained, equipped with litter bins and anti-littering measures, with at least one water body aesthetically enhanced for public use within its jurisdiction." However, not a single one of these criteria is met in the water bodies, which are highly polluted, have garbage dumps, no bins, and are not used for public purposes either. The second main part of the category was the validation methodology: "The validation for this indicator will be carried out by visiting the water bodies within the ULB's jurisdiction." But, eyebrows are being raised over these visits, which also had to capture photographs and videos at the sampled locations, as the dirty condition of these water bodies is quite visible. It's not just residents' concern; there are govt reports too highlighting how polluted rivers and drains are in the city. "Not even one out of the eleven parameters for judging water body cleanliness is being fulfilled at Panchkula. Yet, we are scoring 100 per cent marks. This can't even be a joke being played on the residents of Panchkula. So much for the authenticity and integrity of the Swachh Survekshan 2024-2025," commented Mohit Gupta, co-founder of the Save Ghaggar Campaign and founder of Solution Box. According to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Panchkula, in February this year, it found that the Ghaggar River, before meeting Sukhna Choe in Panchkula, had a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) level of 9.8 mg/L and a Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) level of 56 mg/L. As per norms, for rivers, the ideal BOD level for healthy water bodies should be 3 mg/L or less, while COD levels should ideally be below 10 mg/L. However, the levels are exceeded by high margins in the district, raising health and environmental concerns. Similar is the plight of drains here, but it seemed to have been ignored by the Swachh inspection team. The sorry state of affairs in terms of cleanliness is no secret in Ghaggar, where all sorts of garbage and other religious and non-religious items are thrown and dumped by people from different parts of Panchkula and adjoining areas. The situation is so bad that, after losing hope in the district authorities about cleanliness, some residents are themselves carrying out cleanliness drives here under the Save Ghaggar Campaign. Even garbage can be seen flowing in drains and other rivers with dirty water. "It raises questions on the marking process for this category. Last year also they gave the same 100 per cent marks for the cleanliness of water bodies. Does the team not do ground inspection? Or do they not follow govt department reports? The water bodies have alarming BOD and COD levels and have huge waste dumps inside and at their banks. I will take up the issue with the authorities carrying out the survey, which is totally bereft of ground reality," said Tapasaya Sharma, co-founder of the Save Ghaggar Campaign. "Even the flow of natural nallahs is in complete disarray. Whether the nallahs flowing from Sector 2 or Sector 17/7, they are very dirty. Water bodies here have a permanent brown colour. Whether it is Nada or Nandana Choe, they have leachate. Sewerage is released in the nallahs near Mata Mansa Devi temple. There are even NGT reports about industrial waste being released in Ghaggar. I fail to understand how all this can be overlooked in the survey," added Mohit Gupta. However, President of the Federation of Residents Association (FORA), RP Malhotra, felt putting up of nets on old Ghaggar river bridge has helped stopping throwing of waste from the road. It may be mentioned here the city overall performed its worst ever securing 219th rank nationally and 22nd rank in state. 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Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
Rain, rust and red tape: PU hostels mock Chandigarh's clean city tag
1 2 3 4 5 6 Chandigarh: Just days after Chandigarh bagged the title of India's second cleanest city among big cities in the Swachh Survekshan rankings, a walk through Panjab University's hostels offers a jarring contrast - discarded furniture, rusting coolers, broken racks and wooden scraps lie dumped in open corners and backyards, untouched for years. While the city basks in its Swachh Bharat glory, the university hostels seem battling health and hygiene risk bureaucratic inertia, a scene that's less "clean city" and more "dump yard in progress." Despite repeated complaints by students, the junk has remained untouched for months, with many items reportedly lying there for over two years. Research scholar Shispal Sheokand, who flagged the issue recently, said he submitted a formal memorandum to Dean Students Welfare (DSW) Prof Amit Chauhan, urging immediate clearance of the trash before it leads to a health crisis. "This isn't just about aesthetics. These rotting wooden frames and rusted metal coolers invite disease, especially during the rains," Sheokand said. Prof Bharadwaj Bargai, the newly appointed warden of Boys Hostel No. 5, admitted the problem was long pending. "Most of this furniture has been lying here since around two years. We are aware of the issue and are taking steps to dispose it off soon," he said. A walk through Boys Hostel No. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Vastu Compliant 3BHK @ Kalyani LivingTree, KIADB, Bagalur Kalyani Developers Learn More Undo 3 reveals a similar scene, half-broken furniture, twisted almirahs, plastic chairs with missing legs, and outdated electrical fixtures piled against walls. Officials in the university's administration wing privately admit that even without the protest-related disruptions, the process of auctioning junk furniture has historically been slow and bogged down by procedural red tape. "Even small decisions go through multiple departments," said a staffer, requesting anonymity. Students argue that bureaucratic delays shouldn't put their health at risk. "It's ironic that a top-ranked university can't manage basic hygiene in its hostels," said Divyansh, a research scholar from the Anthropology department. With the monsoon picking up, the university's sluggish response to hostel sanitation has once again highlighted the cost of institutional inertia. Responding to the issue, DSW Prof Amit Chauhan explained that there is a procedure in place for disposing of discarded items, but the process takes time. "Hostel authorities first prepare an inventory and submit it to the university administration. Once approved, the materials are auctioned off to external bidders. Unfortunately, this time the process was delayed because the DSW office was shut down in April and part of May due to student protests," he said.
