The city has been ranked 83rd among 425 cities in the latest cleanliness survey conducted by the central government under the Swachh Bharat Mission, showing an improvement of 22 places from 105 in 2018. However, it is way behind other cities in national capital region such as Ghaziabad, which has ranked 13 in the ‘Swachh Survekshan-2019’ results of which were announced on Wednesday.

Overall, 4,237 cities were surveyed this year. Gurugram was bracketed among 425 cities, which have a population between 3 lakh and 10 lakh.

With a final score of 2,975.41 out of 5,000 points, the city finished fourth in Haryana behind Karnal (24), Rohtak (69), and Panchkula (71). However, Gurugram’s final score is much more than the national average of 1,846 points and Haryana’s average of 1,934.32. The neighbouring city of Faridabad has been ranked 227th.

“The ranking reflects the work done by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) over the past 12 months. We will continue our work to further consolidate the city’s position,” Yashpal Yadav, MCG commissioner, said.

This year, the assessment was divided into four categories -- direct observation, service-level progress, citizen feedback and certification. Each category carried 1,250 points in the final score.

Gurugram scored 1,107 under the direct observation category, 308.86 in the service level progress, 959.55 in the citizen feedback, and 600 in the certification category.

MCG officials said there were multiple factors, which played a role in the city’s overall score. On the positive front, they said that city’s ODF++ certification conferred to it on January 27, which certifies that the city is not only open defecation free (ODF) but also has safe containment of waste with requisite standards in processing and disposal of faecal sludge and septage, helped it gain points under the certification category.

Gurugram’s 600 points in the certification category is much higher than the national and state average, which is 208 and 180.63, respectively.

Besides, the main reason that helped the city gain points under the direct observation category was the increase in the number of public toilets. According to officials, at the start of 2018 there were around 70 public toilets in the city, and the number went up to 126 by December 2018. Gurugram’s 1,107 points in the direct observation category is much higher than the national and state average of 675 and 766.25, respectively.

At least 59,729 residents gave their feedback for the survey, the highest in Haryana, and eleventh highest in the country. MCG officials said that since October 2018, they increased awareness among residents through their on-ground campaigns and via social media, asking them to submit their feedback in the upcoming survey, where they also listed MCG’s various initiatives towards cleanliness and sanitation.

However, the city has been given two stars out of seven under the GFC (garbage free cities) rating.

GFC rating has 11 key components like door-to-door collection of waste; segregation at source; sweeping of public, commercial and residential areas; scientific waste processing; user fees, penalties, spot fines for littering and enforcement of ban on plastic; citizen grievance redressal and feedback system; cleaning of storm drains and surface of water bodies; waste reduction; and visible beautification, among others.

MCG officials said that the city’s problems such as its inability to revive its only waste processing plant at Bandhwari that has been lying defunct since 2013, and the inability to establish a C&D (construction and demolition) waste plant that has been on paper since 2014 led to its poor GFC rating.

Residents were critical of the city’s ranking, and said it did not reflect the on-ground situation.

“Gurugram may have jumped 22 places, but 83 is still a poor rank. In addition, I am unsure about the direct observation category where the city has scored such high points, as basic amenities in the city are not up to the mark. Clogged drains remain a perennial issue, as a result of which there is severe waterlogging each monsoon. I have found many public toilets where there is either no water supply, or they are locked entirely. I am surprised the city has finished within the top 100,” said Harshit Kumar, a resident of Sector 50.

Residents also cited the IQAir AirVisual and Greenpeace report that found the city to be the most polluted in the world. “On Tuesday, Gurugram was recognised as the most polluted city in the world. A day later, it saw a jump of 22 places in cleanliness rankings. C&D waste management, and fines and checks on waste dumping are also accounted for in the Swachh Survekshan. It seems the surveyors have ignored these factors, as reflected in the city’s improvement in the rankings,” said Meenu Yadav, a resident of Palam Vihar.

First Published: Mar 07, 2019 06:48 IST