Cleanliness count: Mohali stands first, Abohar comes second
Find out how the small hamlet of Abohar transformed from the dirtiest city of the state to a model of cleanliness
3 min read
Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar and volunteers at work in the town Mohali’s Urban Local Body (ULB) has clinched the number one position in the state among cities with a population ranging from 1 lakh to 10 lakh in the Central government’s annual Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023, announced on Thursday (January 11). The city was placed at the 82nd position nationally with its ULB scoring an impressive 6204 points. Abohar’s ULB captured attention with an impressive all-India rank of 105 and a state rank of 2, scoring 5914 points. Following closely were Patiala and Bathinda ULBs at 3rd and 4th positions.
While Mohali excelled with a 97% door-to-door garbage collection rate, Abohar, despite being a smaller town, achieved 82%. Site segregation stood at 35% for Mohali and an impressive 99% for Abohar. Waste generation versus processing revealed a substantial 77% for Mohali and a modest 20% for Abohar. Abohar shone in the remediation of dump sites with a score of 56%, compared to Mohali’s high 85%. Cleaning of residential and market areas saw Mohali leading with 98%, whereas Abohar achieved 85% in both categories. Both ULBs scored 100% in the cleaning of water bodies and public toilets.
Segregation of garbage in Abohar
Despite Mohali being a planned city with over 800 green belts, Abohar, located near the Indo-Pak border, made significant efforts, according to Gurinderjit Singh, the community officer of Abohar municipal corporation, as reported by The Indian Express.
Sandeep Jakhar, the local MLA, said he was happy with the results but a tad disappointed too as Abohar had stood first in the state last year. “Last year, we secured a national ranking of 78, while holding the top spot in Punjab. We need to identify the reasons for the slight decline this year.”
It’s worth noting that in 2017, Abohar ranked as India’s second dirtiest city and was at the bottom in Punjab, hitting 278 in 2018 and 232 in 2019. In 2020, it slipped to 380 nationally.
The town began to see a change for the better in 2021, with the ULB achieving the 105th national rank and 5th in the state. “Our best performance was in 2022, marking a significant improvement. I’m pleased that we’ve transformed from the dirtiest city to competing with major cities in Punjab,” said Jakhar, while pointing out how Mohali was a giant compared to Abohar with much more funds and a more upwardly mobile population.
Volunteers of Apna Abohar Apni Abha
For more than three years now, Jakhar has led the “Apna Abohar Apni Abha” campaign—a weekly cleanliness drive, still ongoing in the city—that he takes great pride in leading. The MLA actively participates alongside volunteers. “We started the campaign in 2019, even before I was elected an MLA,” says Jakhar.
The Congress legislator also acknowledged the MC commissioner Abhijit Kaplish’s efforts. “He initiated several projects five years ago that attracted funds from the Centre that catalyzed Abohar’s positive transformation,” says Sandeep Jakhar.
In Punjab, 163 cities participated in the Swachh Survekshan competition. They were divided into four categories based on population, with more than 70 cities falling into category 3 (1 lakh to 10 lakh population).
op 16 urban local bodies of Punjab with population 1 lakh plus.
ULB | National rank | State rank
Mohali | 82 | 1
Abohar | 105 | 2
Patiala | 120 | 3
Bathinda | 121 | 4
Ferozepur | 127 | 5
Amritsar | 142 | 6
Khanna | 153 | 7
Hoshiarpur | 158 | 8
Muktsar | 170 | 9
Ludhiana | 207 | 10
Pathankot | 208 | 11
Barnala | 233 | 12
Jalandhar | 239 | 13
Moga | 246 | 14
Malerkotla | 271 | 15
Batala | 297 | 16
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