Bathinda tops state in Swachh survey

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 23

Bathinda city has got the first place in the state and has been ranked 104th among 4,041 cities in the Swachh Survey 2017, conducted by the Union Ministry of Urban Development.

The results were announced in New Delhi on Saturday. SAS Nagar has been ranked 109th, Ludhiana 137th, Ferozepur 168th, Patiala 183rd, Hoshiarpur 191st, Amritsar 208th, Jalandhar 215th and Pathankot 224th.

Several steps in solid waste management were taken by the Bathinda Municipal Corporation ahead of the survey, starting with biometric attendance and night sweeping. It also did well in making the city open-defecation-free (ODF).

The well-maintained public toilets in the city brought good marks. Local petrol pumps and hotels also have public toilets.

The city also did well in resolving the complaints and taking public feedback on the Swachhta mobile app. Two machines were installed to produce manure from green waste in the city. Awareness among the masses was also sought to be created by holding camps on cleanliness. In the survey last year, Bathinda had got the 132nd rank and was placed second in Punjab after Mohali.

In the first phase, after seeing the data of various measures taken by the Bathinda MC, the city was given a score out of a total points of 1,200. This time, checking was repeatedly done under the survey.

Executive Engineer Sandeep Gupta said, “We are happy that we have got the top ranking in the state in the survey. Now, we will work hard to maintain the rank and will work even more to get into the top 100 across the country in the survey next year.”

Chief Sanitary Inspector Satish Kumar said, “It is great that we have got the 104th rank. We worked really hard. Various projects were initiated for the betterment of the city.”