Swachh battle intensifies as all Uttarakhand urban local bodies to compete this time

It may have performed dismally when it comes to cleanliness, but that has not stopped Uttarakhand from dreaming big. Unlike seven in the past, this time all 92 of its urban local bodies (ULBs) will be competing in the next Swachh Survekshan survey, which rolls out in January 2018.

In Swachh Survekshan 2017, none of the seven participating cities of the hill state could make it to the list of top 200 of total 434 cities countrywide. State capital Dehradun was ranked at 316th position, while Roorkee (218th) and Haldwani-Kathgodam (395th) clinched the first and the last spot respectively among the hill state’s participants.

This time, however, all the 92 ULBs will be locking horns in Swachh Survekshan 2018, which will see the participation of 4,041 cities and towns across the country.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had set an ambitious target of bringing Dehradun among the top 100 cleanest cities of the country within a year.

With less than a month to go for the survey that begins on January 4, the urban development department has geared up for the big challenge ahead.

“We have explained various parameters (of the survey) and issued detailed instructions to all the urban local bodies...they have been asked to take urgent steps to improve their performance on cleanliness before the survey begins,” additional secretary (urban development) Vinod Kumar Suman told HT, adding that accountability of officials had been fixed by linking their efforts for sanitation with their annual appraisal process.

As a run up to the survey, the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) recently held a meeting with all stakeholders including representatives of resident welfare associations, NGOs, social organizations and local trader bodies among others. “We have appealed to all to take measures, no matter how small, at their end, for cleanliness so that we could figure a spot among the top cities,” Dehradun mayor Vinod Chamoli told HT.

The survey will take into account factors like service level progress of waste operations (35%), citizen feedback (35%) and independent field observation (30%).

BOX: How Uttarakhand cities had fared in Swachh Survekshan 2017:

CityNational rank (out of 434) Overall score (out of 2000)

Roorkee218951

Haridwar244 901

Kashipur256883

Dehradun316752

Rudrapur325 731

Nainital330 725

Haldwani-Kathgodam395557

(Source: Swachh Survekshan 2017 Report)

BOX: Criteria for Swachh Survekshan 2018:

Service level progress-35%

Citizen feedback-35%

Independent field observation-30%

BOX:

No. of Uttarakhand cities/towns participating in Swachh Survekshan 2017: 7

No. of Uttarakhand cities/towns participating in Swachh Survekshan 2018: 92

No. of Indian cities/towns participating in Swachh Survekshan 2017: 434

No. of Indian cities/towns participating in Swachh Survekshan 2017: 4,041

Ends.