Manesar tops clean city survey sans access to complaint portal

In a surprising and controversial outcome, Manesar Municipal Corporation (MCM) has been declared the ‘cleanest’ among 87 civic bodies in Haryana in the latest Swachh City Survey — even though it wasn’t even fully registered on the official complaint portal during the survey period.

The announcement has left residents of Gurugram and Manesar shocked, especially as the industrial town continues to struggle with major sanitation issues. From garbage-strewn streets to open dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, residents say the reality on the ground tells a different story.

The Swachh City Survey, conducted between January 1 and March 10, evaluated civic bodies based on the number and resolution of complaints received via the centralised Swachh City Portal, operated by the Urban Local Bodies Ministry.

According to the official data, Manesar had zero unresolved complaints — a statistic that officials celebrated but critics say is rooted not in performance, but in a technical loophole.

“Manesar is the youngest corporation and has not yet completed ward delimitation. During the survey period, it wasn’t even fully registered on the complaint portal. So even if residents tried to upload complaints, the system wouldn’t accept them,” revealed a senior official of the Urban Local Bodies department, speaking to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity.

Even now, despite being registered, residents continue to face issues with submitting complaints, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.

Local citizens and RWAs have taken to social media, posting photos of overflowing garbage bins, C&D waste heaps, and what they call a "mini landfill" developing in the IMT area, allegedly due to poor waste management by contractors.

“The rankings are surprising as Manesar is anything but clean. Be it streets, roundabouts or villages — garbage is spread everywhere, and sweeping is a luxury. We have regularly raised the sanitation crisis with Corporation officials. They know the truth — so why celebrate this?” said a representative of the United Association of New Gurugram, an umbrella body of RWAs.

Meanwhile, Gurugram — one of the state’s largest and most-developed cities — ranked 10th with 1,039 complaints, despite significantly better civic infrastructure.

Statewide, 5,883 complaints were registered during the review period. After Manesar’s questionable zero, Yamunanagar stood second with 108 complaints, followed by Ambala (158), Hisar (190), Karnal (229), and Sonepat (233). Rohtak fared the worst among the 11 corporations, with 1,091 complaints.

Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goel said: “Complaint redressal is a top priority and we are closely monitoring all civic agencies. Residents should have proper access to grievance redressal — it is their right. We will look into the working of those who have not fared well and take action.”