Swachh Survekshan: Waste rises, ranking falls in Mohali, Panchkula

Both Mohali and Panchkula slid down the Swachh Survekshan rankings, dropping 46 and 69 spots respectively from their 2023 positions to be ranked 82nd and 219 in 2024.

Mohali, placed in the cities with a population between 50,000 to 3 lakh category, also lost its top spot in the state. It was placed 11th among the 16 cities accounted for with a score 8,742 or 70 per cent — 7,742 out of 10,000 in the Swachh Survekshan and 1,000 out of 2,500 in Certification.

Bio-remediation of dumpsites, source segregation, waste generation vs processing, and door-to-door collection were the major sore points in the poor show.

A blame game broke out between MLA Kulwant Singh and Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu, both seeking each others’ resignations. “It is unfortunate that Municipal Corporation (MC) has come down 35 notches. It shows that the Mayor is not serious about his job. If he does not have any interest in the well-being of the city, he should resign immediately,” the MLA said.

The Mayor hit back by blaming the state government, saying the civic body alone cannot be held responsible. “The government does not provide funds. Gmada is yet to pay Rs 35 crore to the MC, under such circumstances what more can you expect. Despite writing to Gmada several time, it has not allocated a new dumping site to the MC. The city bus service has been a non-starter till now. The file for a Rs 200-crore drainage project for the city is also gathering dust,” Sidhu said.

SAD district president Parvinder Singh Sohana, meanwhile, slammed both the MLA and the Mayor, seeking an answer for this downslide. “Both leaders should take moral responsibility for this failure and demanded their resignation for failing in the upkeep,” he added.

Meanwhile, the cities of Zirakpur, Kharar 277th and Nayagaon were placed 225th, 277th and 517th in their respective categories.

Panchkula also fell from the position of 139 down to 219. Notably, the city had in the 2023 survey competed in the 1 lakh to 3 lakh population category, which included 446 cities. This year, it was part of the 50,000 to 3 lakh category with 824 competitors.

Last time, the city’s overall score stood at 55 per cent. In contrast, the 2024 resulted showed that the city scored 8,008 out of a total of 12,500 marks or a 65 per cent performance rating.

A major milestone this year is the city’s achievement of the Water certification — a first for Panchkula. This status, which comes after the previous year’s ODF (Open Defecation Free Plus Plus) certification, indicates enhanced liquid waste management and sanitation practices, particularly in relation to treated wastewater reuse and safe disposal.

Municipal Corporation officials credited the improvement to intensified efforts in sanitation, waste segregation and community participation. They aim to break into the top 10 in the 2025 survey.

Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said that while the city has made progress, greater involvement from residents is vital. He urged citizens to actively participate in cleanliness campaigns and practice responsible waste disposal.

A silver lining

The city had in 2023 competed in the 1 lakh to 3 lakh population category, which included 446 cities. This year, it was part of the 50,000 to 3 lakh category with 824 competitors — contributing to its slide. It, however, improved it’s overall score and secured a Water certification.

Kharar’s surprise

The urban local body of Kharar, meanwhile, sprung a surprise by making it to the national list of awardees in the Swachh Survekshan. The city’s civic body was felicitated in the “Best City in Citizens Feedback” category for cities with a population between 50,000 to 1 lakh.

Brace for stormy House meet

The House meeting of Mohali Municipal Corporation on Friday is expected to be stormy affair given the city’s drastic drop in cleanliness rankings. The agenda items include exploring the option of handing city parks to private entities as CSR initiatives. Introduction of biometric attendance for sanitation employees and demand for allocation of dumping site will also be the part of table agenda.