Year Ender: MC’s year of political instability, slow development

The year 2025 turned out to be a challenging and eventful one for the Amritsar Municipal Corporation, marked by political uncertainty, civic stress and slow-paced development.

The year began under the shadow of a prolonged mayoral election process, as the Congress, despite emerging as the single largest party after the MC elections held in December 2024, failed to prove its majority in the House.

Alongside political instability, the civic body struggled to address basic issues related to sanitation, garbage disposal and sewerage. The exit of the solid waste management firm Averda mid-year added to the crisis, resulting in widespread complaints of irregular garbage lifting and unhygienic conditions.

Though the MC initiated new measures, including hiring a new firm and starting bioremediation of legacy waste, tangible improvement remained limited.

The Mayoral election remained the most important and controversial issue for the Amritsar Municipal Corporation during the year. After the MC elections in December 2024, the Congress emerged as the single largest party but failed to prove a clear majority in the House. The election process witnessed repeated delays, adjournments and political uncertainty. The lack of stable leadership affected routine functioning of the civic body and delayed approval of development works, tenders and policy decisions for several months. On January 27 Aam Aadmi Party’s Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia was elected the Mayor, with Priyanka Sharma as Senior Deputy Mayor and Anita Rani as Deputy Mayor, in a General House meeting.

Solid waste management continued to be one of the biggest challenges for the civic body. The solid waste management firm Averda left the work in August with a prior notice of six months. Residents across many wards complained of irregular garbage lifting, overflowing bins and unhygienic conditions. Areas in the walled city and densely-populated localities were the worst affected. Despite repeated claims by the MC, visible improvement on the ground remained limited for most of the year.

In an attempt to improve waste collection, the Municipal Corporation hired 3R Solid Waste Management Company to carry out door-to-door garbage collection across the city. The move was aimed at improving segregation of waste at source and ensuring daily collection. While the initiative was launched in several wards, residents reported mixed results, with issues related to manpower shortage, irregular timing and incomplete coverage. The project is yet to streamline.

Another major step taken during the year was the start of bioremediation work for clearing legacy waste dumps. A private company was engaged to process old garbage accumulated at Bhagtanwala dumping site. The project was projected as a long-term solution to reduce environmental hazards, foul smell and fire incidents at dumping grounds. However, the work progressed slowly, and its overall impact is yet to be fully assessed.

Sewerage overflow and poor drainage remained unresolved issues. Several parts of the city faced frequent sewer blockages, especially during the monsoon. Waterlogging on roads and in residential areas highlighted the poor condition of underground sewer lines. The MC carried out temporary repairs, but residents demanded a comprehensive upgrade of the sewerage network.

The state government declared Amritsar’s walled city as a ‘holy city’ during the year. The holy city status for Amritsar’s walled city was officially declared in December. Punjab government issued the notification on December 15, formally recognising the walled city of Amritsar, along with Sri Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo, as holy cities of the state. The decision included bans on the sale of meat, liquor, tobacco and other intoxicating substances in these areas to preserve their religious sanctity. While religious organisations welcomed the move, traders and residents sought clarity on enforcement and its effect on livelihoods.

The Amritsar Improvement Trust remained in the spotlight with Karamjeet Singh Rintu taking charge on on March 17. Expectations were high regarding the completion of pending housing and development projects. However, progress on several schemes remained slow, and delays in land allotments and infrastructure development continued to draw criticism.

Amritsar showed improvement in the national Swachh Survekshan rankings this year. The city rose to 30th position in the city category, reflecting better sanitation measures, increased cleanliness drives and improved community participation in July. Municipal Corporation officials attributed the improvement to intensified door-to-door garbage collection, public awareness campaigns and closer monitoring of sanitation work, though residents continued to demand further improvements on the ground.

Public dissatisfaction with civic services remained high. Political instability, weak waste management and slow project execution dominated public complaints.