MC fails to impress in Swachh Survekshan 2023 rankings

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, January 11

In the national-level cleanliness survey — Swachh Survekshan 2023, Ludhiana secured the 39th position in the 46 cities (in the category of cities having one million plus population) in the country, according to the results released by the central authorities on Thursday.

In the nationwide ranking for cities with a population of over one lakh category, the city got the 207th position in the country, and in the state ranking, it is positioned at the 10th spot.

In the list of 46 cities falling into the category of population exceeding one million, there are just two cities from Punjab. Amritsar has outperformed Ludhiana and got the 31st position on the list.

Mullanpur Dakha Nagar Council bags award

• Officials are elated as the Nagar Council of Mullanpur Dakha secured an award in the Swachh Survekshan 2023. The nagar council has achieved the ‘Swachh City’ award of North India during a ceremony at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. DC Surabhi Malik received the award on behalf of the Nagar Council from Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• The nagar council earns the esteemed ‘Swachh City’ award for North India in the population category of 15,000-25,000. Malik extends congratulations to all officials, staff of Mullanpur Dakha and residents of the town. Under the Swachh Survey 2023, cities/towns were given star rating under the Garbage Free City (GFC) component and ranking is given under the ODF, officials said.

This time, the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, has shown only minimal improvement as compared to the last survey. It ranked 40th of the 45 cities (10 lakh population category) in the Swachh Survekshan 2022 in the country.

No star for GFC status

Despite being a persistent concern, inadequate solid waste management continues to be a significant problem in Ludhiana. As per information, Ludhiana city has got a ‘No star’ for the garbage-free city (GFC) status. The survey results indicate door-to-door collection of waste is 87 per cent, source segregation is 76.13 per cent and waste processing 15.10 per cent. Besides, cleanliness of water bodies was observed 100 per cent and an MC official gave its credit for the Sidhwan Canal cleanliness drive.

At the same time, some environmental activists and opposition leaders are expressing doubts about the corporation’s achievement of approximately 76 per cent source segregation and 100 per cent cleanliness of water bodies. Inder Aggarwal, a BJP leader and former councillor, pointed out that the MC and the state government had failed to improve solid waste management in the city. He emphasised the absence of proper source segregation and highlighted non-compliance of rules in the daily waste disposal process. A substantial amount of waste was accumulating at the MC’s main garbage dumpsite. He also raised concerns over pollution in the Buddha Dariya.

Ludhiana president of the Shiromani Akali Dal Bhupinder Singh Bhinda had voiced concerns regarding the inadequate management of solid waste and city’s cleanliness. He highlighted deficiencies in garbage collection and the absence of effective waste processing. Bhinda emphasised the need for a civic body to implement essential measures to enhance Ludhiana’s ranking in the upcoming survey, with the goal of securing a position among the top five cities.

AAP MLA Daljit Singh Grewal emphasised that improving the city’s solid waste management system and making Buddha Dariya pollution-free were among their foremost priorities. He expressed hope about a significant improvement in the next Swachh Survekshan rankings.

Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said they would take steps to improve the city’s ranking in coming surveys. He said they were actively working on preparing detailed project reports for the establishment of a waste-to-energy plant and an integrated solid waste management facility to improve the overall waste management system. Also, proposals were being made for setting up a compressed biogas (CBG) plant, a material recovery facility, and a composting plant for Ludhiana. Waste compactors were to be installed at identified locations and a bio-remediation process for legacy waste was in progress.

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