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Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat CM inaugurates projects worth Rs 73 crore; hails Surat for acing Super Swachh League
To mark Urban Development Year 2025, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated various projects worth an estimated Rs 73.01 crore in different zones and laid the foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 362.45 crore, in Surat on Saturday. With Surat city acing the Super Swachh League as the cleanest city in India, CM Patel congratulated the sanitation workers. On the occasion, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Paatil said, 'Surat city is marching ahead and is a source of inspiration for other cities in the country.' Congratulating the sanitation workers along with officers and employees of the civic body, he appealed to the citizens to continuously maintain the achievements made in the field of cleanliness. The Union minister said, 'Surat has done good work in rainwater harvesting with the people of the community and Rajasthani businessmen playing an important role in Jan Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB). Under the rainwater harvesting initiative, a total of 32 lakh structures have been constructed across 33 states and 611 districts in India. Under Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari-2, which started on June 1 this year, Gujarat stood in first position, while in Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari-1, it clinched the 6th position. In the JSJB-1, Banaskantha, which falls within the dark zone and is a dry area, has worked exponentially well. With the help of Banas Dairy Chairman Shanker Chaudhary, over 27,000 structures for Jal Sanchay were made in the district. Farmers paid 50%, and the remaining one was paid by Banas dairy in JSJB-1.' CM Patel has allocated a budget of Rs 50 lakh to the MLAs to accelerate the water conservation campaign launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Paatil said. Addressing the gathering, CM Patel said, 'Suraksha and salamati paya ni pehli sharat chhe (Safety and security are the first basic conditions). PM Modi has given top priority to the country's security and the safety of its people.' He said, 'Under the leadership of PM Modi, the Indian Army has achieved resounding success in terms of surgical strikes, air strikes and recently, Operation Sindoor.' Keeping in mind the vision of PM Modi's Developed India-2047, he said, 'To raise the standards of ease of living in Surat, the foundation stone and inauguration of different development projects were done in Surat today. SMC is constantly striving to provide excellent infrastructure and basic facilities to the citizens. As part of the development works, tree plantation has been undertaken under the Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam Abhiyan to preserve the environment. The Catch the Rain Abhiyan has been undertaken to prevent water problems in the future.' He said, 'Surat has the longest BRTS corridor in India, measuring 108 km. Under this, it is the first city in India to operate 100% electric buses. The participation of every citizen of Gujarat is necessary to develop Surat as a growth hub and become a world-class city.' The programme also included the launch of the logo for the Surat Gender and Inclusion Lab under the Sustainable Urban Mobility — Air Quality, Climate Action, and Accessibility (SUM-ACA) project with GIZ-Germany. Besides, three digital tools – E-Bus Planning and Optimization Tool, E-Bus Scheduling Tool, and Bus Key Performance Indicator Dashboard Tool – were launched. They have been developed in collaboration with GIZ-Germany to make the public transport service of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) effective. At the event, two films narrating the development and growth story of Surat were screened. At the event, CM Patel also watched a performance put together by the students of the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Lab at Suman School, which the Surat civic body runs. Besides, he conducted a computerised draw system of 1,494 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna at Bhestan, Palanpur and Bhesan, from Sanjiv Kumar Auditorium in Surat.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Takeaways from the Swachh Survekshan
Rankings and celebrations apart, the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, branded as the world's largest cleanliness survey, provides policy makers and city managers a reality check on urban sanitation and waste management, and a reliable database. The annual survey steered by Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban had not only over 4,500 cities competing, compared to less than 100 in 2016, but was also backed by elaborate assessments and third party verification and further bolstered by feedback from 140 million city dwellers. From segregation, collection, transportation, and management of waste to the welfare of sanitation workers and grievance redressal, the 10 parameters of the survey are comprehensive. The survey has emerged as an effective driver of competition and movement in city sanitation. It also provides a measure of the gaps in India's journey towards clean cities. Different population sizes The advent of Super Swachh League this year was an overdue twist to break the stalemate at the top of the rankings. Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai — all mascots of cleanliness for a while — entered this new space along with 20 other cities of different population sizes. Members of the League could create new benchmarks and compete among themselves while yielding space to new aspirants to enter clean city ranks. That is how Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow could break into the top as India's cleanest cities this time in the million-plus category, with another 12 receiving ranks in their own population segments. Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 appeared focused on faster democratisation of city cleanliness. The expansion of population categories from two to five, starting from cities with a population of less than 20,000 to those with a million-plus population, provided a fairer platform for cities to perform. Those hitherto lagging are now catching up. Odisha is an example. Bhubaneswar moved up from the 34th to the 9th rank; small towns such as Aska and Chikiti worked their way to the top three clean cities in their categories; and mid-size cities including Rourkela, Cuttack, and Berhampur moved considerably upwards. These trends create hope that cleanliness is not a preserve of only certain States. Cities from the south are yet to make any big mark in the clean city show with Bengaluru being the least inspirational. Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Mysuru were the best in the region. The National Capital Region presents an interesting medley: while the New Delhi Municipal Council areas and Noida ranked best for meticulous sanitation implementation, Delhi, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad improved their ranks irrespective of the negative reports they received in the public domain. The clean city basket has grown larger since one promising clean city was picked up from each State based on its progress and potential. Once cities are positively stamped, they tend to stay in the aspirational course. Understood this way, the 78 Swachh awards given were not too many. Setting up the cleanest cities as mentors to the most underperforming ones could help in the proliferation of multiple good practices among urban local bodies (ULBs). While Indore is a veteran in segregating the last gram of waste into six buckets at source — dry, wet, domestic hazardous, plastic, sanitary and e-waste; Surat has been making good revenue by selling sewage-treated water. Pune's waste management is anchored on cooperatives formed by ragpickers. Visakhapatnam made an eco-park from remediated legacy waste site. Lucknow produced an iconic waste wonder park. The Kuberpur area in Agra, once a toxic dumpsite, transformed to 47 acres of green, by engaging bioremediation and biomining technologies. Tourist destinations and places of high footfall received special emphasis in the survey. Prayagraj was awarded in the category of Ganga towns, and special recognition was extended to the recent Maha Kumbh for its sanitation management. India accounts for less than 1.5% of international tourist arrivals. Cities need to do much more than an occasional cleanliness drive to enhance tourist experience. The theme this year The theme of 'reduce, reuse, and recycle (RRR)', advocated by the 2025 survey, carries the prospect of jobs, enterprise, and invigoration of self-help groups. The theme of the last survey was 'waste to wealth'. We are yet to raise the billions of rupees out of waste that is possible. For this, policy needs to better incentivise investors. Waste-to-energy plants are gaining traction but the private sector may be concerned about commercial viability. Citizens are yet to take meaningful action even though the RRR approach is entrenched in India's ancient traditions. While a universal resentment against open defecation has been achieved by SBM, a behaviour change movement fostering intolerance against waste and fighting against consumerism has been tough to initiate. As more cities get identified as hubs of growth, we must prioritise the management of 1.5 lakh tonnes of solid waste generated every day. A lot will depend on delivery at decentralised levels, especially by ULBs in enforcing segregation, collection, transport, and processing, including of the more challenging plastic and e-waste. The business of waste management in cities may look chaotic, but it remains possible. The rise of Surat from being a place of garbage three decades ago to the top place in the sanitation chart last year shows that this is a possibility in all cities in India. Akshay Rout, Former Director General, Swachh Bharat Mission.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Vizag slips from 4th to 9th in Swachh Survekshan ranking
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam's ranking in the latest Swachh Survekshan 2024 has fallen to 9th place among 40 cities with million-plus population, down from 4th over the past two years. This decline is attributed to factors such as reducesd door-to-door waste collection and a drop in source segregation levels to 81%. Despite the slip, Visakhapatnam maintained a strong overall score of 11,636 out of 12,500. Within the core SS2024 component worth 10,000 marks, the city scored 9,336—placing it 8th among the top 10 cities. In the garbage-free cities (GFC) category, worth 1,300 marks, Visakhapatnam earned 1,100 marks — tying with Pune and Agra but falling 200 marks short of the highest scorers. The city performed exceptionally well in the open defecation-free segment, earning full marks of 1,200, in line with its top-tier peers. Although Visakhapatnam trails Pune by 57 marks and Hyderabad by just 14 in the SS2024 component, its 200-mark shortfall in the GFC category—equivalent to missing 2–3 mid-weight indicators such as stormwater drain cleanliness—highlights specific areas for improvement. This year saw the introduction of new 'Super Swachh League' to recognise cities with consistent top-tier performance. To qualify, cities must have ranked in the top three at least once in the past three years and be among the top 20% of their category in the current year. Four cities have been recognised as Super Swachh League cities. Vijayawada made the cut among these four cities with populations over 10 lakh, while Visakhapatnam would stand at 13th if these league cities were included in the overall rankings. The Swachh Survekshan 2024 (SS2024) toolkit allocates a total of 10,000 marks across ten key performance areas: visible cleanliness (1,500 marks), segregation, collection & transportation (1,000), solid waste management (1,500), access to sanitation (1,000), used water management (1,000), mechanisation of desludging services (500), advocacy for Swachhta (1,500), ecosystem strengthening & institutional capacity (1,000), welfare of sanitation workers (500), and citizen feedback & grievance redressal (500). According to experts, to improve its standing, Visakhapatnam should focus on enhancing door-to-door segregated waste collection to align with higher-scoring peers, expanding solid waste processing capacity, and accelerating landfill remediation. Increasing the fleet and frequency of mechanised desludging services could help secure full 500 marks in that area. To maximise scores in advocacy and feedback, the city should utilise school-based assessments, run awareness campaigns at tourist spots, and strengthen digital citizen engagement platforms. A major highlight for Visakhapatnam was winning Rank 1 in the Safaimitra Surakshit Shehar category. GVMC mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao described it as a proud moment and dedicated the achievement to sanitation workers, citizens, GVMC staff, public representatives, and partner organisations. Commissioner Ketan Garg also expressed pride in the recognition, crediting citizen participation and the dedication of the GVMC workforce.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
SMC releases marksheet: Surat city topped among 4,900 cities in Super Swachh League 2025
Surat city topped among 4,900 cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 by securing 12,151 out of 12,500 marks in the Super Swachh League, leaving behind Indore with 12,147 marks and Navi Mumbai with 12,074 marks in the category, according to figures released by the Surat Municipal Corporation on Tuesday. The marks in the Super Swachh League category were given to cities with a population of over 10 lakh. The Swachh Survey Inter-Award Ceremony was held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on July 17. At the event, Surat city won an award for the best performance in the Super Swachh League from President Droupadi Murmu that was accepted by Surat Mayor Daxesh Mawani and Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal. Sources in Surat Municipal Corporation now revealed that the city has 'achieved a 100 per cent score (1300/1300) with a 7-star rating' in 'Garbage Free City (GFC)' — a comprehensive assessment framework that evaluates a city's solid waste management system across 24 defined indicators, awarding a star rating from 1 to 7. It emphasises 100% source segregation of waste, door-to-door collection from all premises, complete elimination of open dumping and burning, scientific processing of all waste types, remediation of legacy dumpsites, and visible cleanliness across the city. Achieving a 7- star status reflects the city's sustained excellence in decentralised waste systems, zero-waste practices, and active citizen participation. Surat city also scored a 100 per cent (1200/1200) in 'Water + Certification', which recognises cities ensuring 100% treatment, safe reuse and disposal of all wastewater, including faecal sludge. Cities are required to operate functional sewage and faecal sludge treatment facilities, achieve zero untreated discharge into water bodies, and reuse treated water for landscaping, construction, or industrial use. The certification also requires cities to involve bulk water consumers through formal reuse agreements and to promote awareness on water conservation and environmental protection among citizens. The city also scored a 100 per cent in 'Used Water Management' (1000/1000), 'Ecosystem Strengthening and Institutional Parameters' (400/400) and 'Advocacy for Cleanliness' (1500/ 1500). In 'Visible Cleanliness' category Surat scored 1490 out of 1500 marks, while 1489 out of 1500 in 'Solid Waste Management', 989 out of 1000 in 'Sanitation Access', and 493 out of 500 in 'Sanitation Worker Welfare' category. As per sources in the SMC's Health department, last year, more than 100 representatives from the states of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and cities like Mehsana and Vapi had visited Surat city and received mentorship on best sanitation practices.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
'Floors abroad are clean, why not here?': 88-year-old retired DIG Inderjit Singh Sidhu cleans Chandigarh streets every morning; civic pride drives his mission
NEW DELHI: At a time when many choose rest after retirement, 87-year-old Inderjit Singh Sidhu, a retired DIG of Punjab police, chooses service. Every morning, at precisely 6 am, as the city of Chandigarh stirs awake, Sidhu is already out on the streets of Sector 49. Armed not with rank or authority, but with a humble cycle cart and a resolute sense of civic duty, he begins his day by picking up garbage strewn along the roadside. 'I like a clean place, so I try to clean,' he says simply. 'It will be good if the parking at this market area is clean. If you visit any foreign country and look at their floors, they are generally very clean, but this is not the case in India. In the competition for cleanliness across India, Chandigarh has ranked second. Chandigarh is famous for its cleanliness and beauty' His words reflect not frustration, but quiet determination. Though Chandigarh missed the top spot in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 under the "Super Swachh League" category for cities with populations between 3 and 10 lakh, Inderjit Singh Sidhu chose not to dwell on rankings. Instead, he responded the only way he knew, with action. At the New Delhi award ceremony, Noida claimed first place, with Chandigarh and Mysuru followed second and third place. (With agency inputs)
