Swachh Survekshan 2024–2025: Chandigarh stands 2nd in new category

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.