By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 17 Jul: Improving slightly its past performance, Dehradun Nagar Nigam has now achieved 62nd position in the Central Government’s annual Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 (National Cleanliness Survey). This is a slight improvement over its 68th rank last year. This minor improvement has however been hailed by the officials who claim that this reflects the effectiveness of sustained cleanliness efforts under the Swachh Bharat Mission. At the same time, Lal Kuan Nagar Panchayat emerged as the top-ranked urban local body in Uttarakhand, while Rudrapur Nagar Nigam secured the 68th national rank, placing it in second position within the state.
The Swachh Survekshan awards were presented at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, by President Droupadi Murmu at an event organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Not surprisingly, Indore was declared the cleanest city in India for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai.
Dehradun Nagar Nigam earned a score of 7,614 points and it has been hailed by the officials as a substantial rise from the 6,579 points achieved in the previous year. The officials claim that this increase of over 1,000 points is attributed to dedicated efforts in enhancing sanitation infrastructure, bolstering citizen participation, and innovating solid waste management practices. According to the Municipal Commissioner Namami Bansal, the improved ranking is a collective achievement of the city’s residents, sanitation personnel, cleanliness volunteers, and municipal staff. She reminded that the key interventions included door-to-door garbage collection, awareness drives, integration of technology into waste systems, and persistent monitoring.
Bansal has congratulated the municipal officials, employees, and citizens, remarking that the rise in ranking is not merely statistical but a motivating milestone towards realising the vision of a cleaner and healthier Dehradun. She further reaffirmed the Nigam’s resolve to intensify its work in the coming years with the aim of positioning Dehradun among the top clean cities nationally. The officials claim that the present Municipal Commissioner Namami Bansal has proactively taken some initiatives which have resulted in the improved rankings.
In the Survey, while Dehradun leads the state, Rudrapur follows closely. In contrast, Haridwar has slipped to rank 363, and Haldwani too declined by 54 places to 291 from last year’s 237, suggesting a shortfall in cleanliness initiatives. Kotdwar has been ranked 232, Pithoragarh 177, and Almora recorded the lowest position among Uttarakhand cities at 907. Among the Nagar Panchayats, Lal Kuan Nagar Panchayat was officially felicitated by President Murmu for its exemplary contribution.
While there is some improvement in the ranking of Dehradun and some other towns, it is clear that to elevate Uttarakhand’s standing at the national level, significant efforts will be required from all Nagar Nigams, Nagar Palikas, and Nagar Panchayats, with special emphasis on innovation, accountability, as presently even the touristic cities like Haridwar, Rishikesh and Mussoorie rank poorly with little attention of the urban bodies being given to sanitation and cleanliness.
