Chandigarh has ranked 6 in the urban local bodies (ULB) with over a lakh of the population submitting their citizen feedback for Swacch Survekshan 2022, till now. This is the last leg of the survey, results of which will be declared this year. According to the details, as many as 82,304 feedback have been submitted till April 10 in Chandigarh. The feedback can be submitted till April 15. Swacch Survekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness in towns and cities across the country. The first survey, which was undertaken in 2016, covered 73 cities. Under the citizens’ voices that are being submitted, Chandigarh is among the top five states and UTs where it was also found that maximum Swacch Survekshan conversations were taking place on the internet. As many as 20 ULBs which have a population of more than a lakh have been ranked by the Ministry on the basis of the citizen feedback given to them. Chandigarh had also tried to improve the citizen feedback mechanism by installing QR codes in all public toilets. Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Anindita Mitra told The Indian Express, “Citizen feedback is a very important component of the Swacch Bharat mission. Feedback during Survekshan has its importance, however, our citizen’s year-long feedback help us improve the quality of services we provide. The MC has opened several channels of feedback on a regular basis, whether it is social media, the I’m Chandigarh app or QR codes in toilets.” The Swacch Survekshan team is already in the city, for a three-day inspection. Visakhapatnam emerged as the city with the highest number of citizen feedback with 2,06,689 feedback followed by South Delhi (SDMC) and New Delhi (NDMC) with 1,58,463 and 1,15,076 feedback, respectively. Dhanbad and Pimpri Chinchwad are at rank four and five, with 93,772 and 92,126 feedback, respectively. Citizens’ voices are an important component and it consists of feedback, engagement, experience and voices. It has 30 per cent composition of the total marks, along with certification, which also comrpises 30 per cent. Service level progress (SLP) consists of 40 per cent. SLP comprises waste segregation and collection, processing and disposal of waste and sustainable sanitation. By 2021, the survey grew to cover 4,320 cities and was said to be the largest cleanliness survey, globally. The objective of the survey was to encourage large-scale citizen participation, ensure sustainability of initiatives taken towards garbage-free and open defecation-free cities, provide credible outcomes, which would be validated by third party certification and institutionalise existing systems through online processes. It also aims to create awareness among about the importance of working together to make towns and cities more habitable and sustainable. Additionally, the survey also intends to foster a spirit of healthy competition amongst towns and cities to improve their service delivery to citizens and move towards creating cleaner cities. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Quality Council of India also conducted virtual interactions with states and ULBs to familiarise them with various facets of the survey such as survey methodology, survey process and indicators, amongst others, while also clarifying their expectations from the survey. Chandigarh had slipped to rank 66 in 2021 In 2021’s survey results, Chandigarh slipped to 66th rank nationally (score wise) and 16th rank in the 10 lakh plus population category which brought embarrassment to the city. Of the total 6,000 marks, UT got an overall score with 4277.29. Score-wise Chandigarh ranked 66 which included all ULBs. In the sub-category of 10 lakh and above population, Chandigarh ranked 16 out of the 48 ULBs that fall in this category. In 2021, too Survekshan covered 4,320 cities, including 62 cantonment boards. Swachh Survekshan 2021 was completely digitised as the data was collected through platforms like apps and portals designed for conducting the assessment. The assessment went on from March 1 to March 31, 2021. Following the results, the Medical Officer Dr Amrit Warring was repatriated and sent back to Punjab. He was also debarred from holding any post on deputation in Chandigarh.
