logo
Swachh Survekshan 2024–2025: Chandigarh stands 2nd in new category, but 96 in overall rankings

Swachh Survekshan 2024–2025: Chandigarh stands 2nd in new category, but 96 in overall rankings

Indian Express17-07-2025
Chandigarh has earned second spot in the 'Super Swachh League' cities category under the three to ten lakh population segment in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–2025. Under the new category 'Super Swachh League' (SSL), Noida emerged as the topper, followed by Chandigarh, Mysore, Ujjain, Gandhinagar and Guntur in the three to ten lakh population category.
However, Chandigarh was at the 96th position in the overall three to ten lakh category, with Mira Bhayandar (Maharashtra) and Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) at first and second positions respectively.
failed to figure among the top three cleanest cities in any category and also did not improve its Garbage Free City (GFC) star rating, remaining at 3 stars. This year, 12 cities earned 7-star GFC ratings, and 22 cities received 5-star certifications. Among the 23 cities selected for the SSL category, 11 cities already hold higher star ratings than Chandigarh — raising doubts about the criteria used to determine SSL inclusion.
The national cleanliness survey, conducted annually by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is an initiative of the Government of India under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
The honour was conferred by President Droupadi Murmu to Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, during a felicitation ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The event was attended by Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, Secretary (Local Government) Mandeep Singh Brar, and Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Amit Kumar.
According to an MC official, this recognition is a 'testament to the consistent and collective efforts of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, under the leadership of the Administrator, the Mayor, and the Commissioner'. 'Over the years, Chandigarh has set benchmarks in urban sanitation and environmental stewardship, and this award further reinforces its position among India's cleanest cities,' the official added.
The Swachh Survekshan rankings are determined on a variety of performance indicators, including cleanliness levels, waste segregation, garbage-free city star ratings, open defecation-free (ODF) status, beautification drives, and water plus certification. Chandigarh's performance across these parameters stood out, earning it a spot among the nation's top-performing cities.
As per the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 City report card, Chandigarh has achieved 100 per cent scores in key areas such as waste generation versus processing, remediation of dumpsites, cleanliness of residential and market areas, cleanliness of water bodies, and public toilets. The city also achieved 93 per cent in door-to-door waste collection. However, there remains scope for improvement in source segregation, which currently stands at 14 percent.
Expressing his appreciation, Kataria congratulated all stakeholders, including officers, field workers, and residents, for their contributions in making this achievement possible.
He stated that this national-level recognition reflects Chandigarh's collective spirit and unwavering commitment to cleanliness. He called upon everyone to maintain the same momentum and enthusiasm in the coming years and strive to make Chandigarh the cleanest city in the country.
He further emphasised the transformative role of Swachh Survekshan in empowering youth, creating green jobs, promoting school and community-level participation, and encouraging innovation in waste management. Babla reaffirmed the Administration's commitment to building a cleaner, greener, and healthier Chandigarh and thanked the citizens for embracing cleanliness as a shared civic responsibility.
Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar extended his thanks to all former commissioners of the MC, acknowledging their foundational contributions to the city's journey in urban cleanliness. He noted that their visionary leadership played a vital role in shaping Chandigarh's cleanliness roadmap and inspired the current administration to pursue higher standards in urban sanitation.
Cong's Lucky flags 'broken roads, failed water project, and garbage heaps'
Meanwhile, Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee president H S Lucky said, 'while I congratulate the Mayor, councillors, officers, and staff of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, I must also highlight the ground reality — broken roads, the failure of the 24×7 water supply project, and a severe shortage of funds in the Municipal Corporation have brought the city's development to a standstill'.
He further added that the heaps of garbage at the dumping ground in Dadumajra reflect the true state of affairs, raising questions on the on-ground implementation of cleanliness initiatives versus the ranking.
Calling it 'unfair self-adulation,' Vinod Vashisht, convener, City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations (CFORWO), has criticised Chandigarh's inclusion in the Super Swachh League Cities category, stating that the city has failed to demonstrate any real progress in cleanliness or service delivery on the ground.
'While the city celebrates the Super League tag, the truth is that we have failed to upgrade our garbage-free city certification, achieved only 93 per cent door-to-door collection, and have a shocking 14 per cent source segregation rate,' Vashisht said.
At the awards ceremony held today in New Delhi, marking the 9th edition of the world's largest urban cleanliness survey, Chandigarh was named one of the 23 Super Swachh League Cities.
'Today, Chandigarh has been awarded as a Swachh Super League City under the 3–10 lakh population category, while the city's population, as per the 2011 Census itself, is over 10.55 lakh. It is a convenient and misleading classification. In 2016, when the first Swachh Survekshan was conducted for cities with populations above 10 lakh, Chandigarh was ranked second nationally. That standard has since eroded' Vashisht said.
Citing ongoing issues such as heaps of garbage at the Dadumajra dumping ground, broken roads, and stalled infrastructure projects like the 24×7 water supply scheme, Vashisht said, 'Chandigarh needs to reflect inward, not reward itself. The rankings must reflect reality, not political narratives or cosmetic improvements.'
AAP felicitates its former Mayor
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) honoured its former mayor Kuldeep Kumar for Chandigarh securing second rank in the Swachh Survekshan 2024 under the 3–10 lakh population category.
AAP Chandigarh president Vijaypal Singh and general secretary Omkar Singh Aulakh lauded Kuldeep's leadership and credited the achievement to the teamwork of AAP councillors and alliance partners, including Congress MP Manish Tewari.
'This success reflects what honest and collaborative governance can achieve,' said Aulakh, while Vijaypal emphasised the party's commitment to achieving the top spot in future rankings.
The former AAP mayor dedicated the recognition to the people of Chandigarh and all civic workers who contributed to the city's cleanliness drive.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mohali MC to rope in private hand to drive waste segregation
Mohali MC to rope in private hand to drive waste segregation

Hindustan Times

time18 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Mohali MC to rope in private hand to drive waste segregation

Stung by a dismal performance in the 2024 Swachhta Survekshan rankings, the Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC) is ramping up efforts to ensure proper waste segregation at source, one of its weakest waste management areas, by roping in a private player for door-to-door garbage collection for the first time. Garbage strewn around on roadsides across the city points to the long road ahead for Mohali in managing its daily waste effectively. (Sanjeev Sharma/HT) Currently, garbage collection in the city remains disorganised, with both sanitation workers and residents failing to segregate waste at source. In the rankings announced on July 17, Mohali fell to the 128th spot among 903 cities with population between 50,000 and 3 lakh — a sharp drop from 82nd last year. Within Punjab, it slipped to the 11th spot among 35 cities, compared to first place last year among cities with over 1 lakh population. Mohali scored 69.93% — earning 8,742 out of 12,500 marks — compared to last year's 82.72% (6,204.20 out of 7,500). Officials attributed the poor performance largely to non-segregation of waste at source and poor processing of waste generated —two key parameters in the central government's cleanliness survey. Tech-enabled monitoring MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh said, 'For the first time, we are privatising door-to-door garbage collection and will float tenders next week. Our aim is to implement an end-to-end, tech-enabled, efficient waste management system in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.' As part of the plan, sanitation workers will sensitise households about waste segregation. Each household will be assigned a QR code, and violations, such as mixing wet and dry waste, will be logged in real-time via a mobile app with time and date. Repeat violations will be escalated to MC sanitary inspectors. Collection vehicles will be required to have separate compartments for wet and dry waste and deliver it to Material Recovery Facilities without mixing. Any violation, including mixing of waste post-collection, will attract strict penalties as per the Service Level Agreement. Three plants set up for waste processing To improve processing, MC has also set up two waste management facilities at Shahimajra and Jagatpura villages, where shed construction and machinery installation is complete. A Panchkula-based agency has been hired to install waste sorting equipment at both sites. While dry waste will be processed here, wet waste will be sent to another shed in Phase 3A. The Shahimajra plant has a daily processing capacity of 40 tonnes and the Jagatpura facility can handle 80 tonnes per day. These steps come in the wake of the Punjab and Haryana high court ordering closure of the Phase 8-B dumping ground, leaving the city with no designated dump. CSR-funded park upkeep Meanwhile, in a bid to improve park maintenance and reduce financial strain, MC has also decided to hand over five major city parks to private companies under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) model. Mohali currently has 798 parks, including 39 designated as 'Special Parks' and 194 maintained by Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs). The plan is to bring 604 parks, including all 39 Special Parks and 565 others, under CSR to enhance upkeep and transparency.

Puttur shines in Swachh Survekshan rankings
Puttur shines in Swachh Survekshan rankings

Hans India

time18 hours ago

  • Hans India

Puttur shines in Swachh Survekshan rankings

Puttur: Puttur City Municipal Council has achieved the 8th rank in Karnataka in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25, a nationwide cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The city earned recognition for its comprehensive and sustainable waste management strategy, including 100% door-to-door waste collection and an efficient solid waste processing system. Its proactive, community-based approach sets an example for urban areas striving for cleanliness and hygiene. Among the initiatives that drew national appreciation were a biogas plant and an electronic waste collection centre, both implemented through public-private partnerships. These innovative efforts were specially acknowledged in the assessment.

Ludhiana: 37 compactors, hook loaders awaited under waste mgmt project
Ludhiana: 37 compactors, hook loaders awaited under waste mgmt project

Hindustan Times

timea day ago

  • Hindustan Times

Ludhiana: 37 compactors, hook loaders awaited under waste mgmt project

As many as 27 static compactors and 10 hook loaders, which the civic body had to procure by January last year, are yet to be introduced under the much-hyped Smart City project for improving solid waste management in the city. Garbage continues to pile up at several locations, say residents. Officials claim efforts are on to meet the revised deadline of September 2025. (HT Photo) Launched in 2021, the project saw 63 static compactors and 26 hook loaders at 22 key sites in the city being installed to ensure smooth waste collection and transportation. However, the project saw a revision in 2023 when 30 more compactors and 10 additional hook loaders were ordered under an extended plan. It had to be incorporated by January 31, 2024, but only three of the new compactors have been received so far. The revised deadline is September this year. To add to the responsibility, 30 sites from the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) were transferred to the Municipal Corporation (MC) earlier this year. With this, the number of sites has now increased to 123 and the total project cost has touched ₹42 crore. The LIT handed over 30 compactors and 10 hook loaders to the MC, though most of them are in poor condition. A tender worth ₹19.85 lakh has already been issued for their repair. The process to install static compactors at the newly LIT-transferred sites is still in progress. 'We have surveyed the locations. Compactors at the initial 22 sites are functioning properly. The work is underway to identify new locations for installing additional compactors,' said MC superintending engineer Sham Lal Gupta. In total, the project now includes 93 existing compactors with 27 more in the pipeline. Ten more hook loaders have been ordered. Another 10 hook loaders have been transferred from the LIT—bringing the total to 46 hook loaders for 36 active sites. Officials claim efforts are on to meet the revised deadline of September 2025.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store