How Indore Got Its Act Together to Become the Cleanest City in India Has Lessons for All

When the city of Indore was ranked the cleanest city in India in the Swachh Survekshan 2017 survey, there might have been a few eyebrows raised. After all, the city had ranked 149 in the Swachhta survey only a few years ago in 2014. Besides, it has never had the reputation of being pristine.

But for the city officials who have worked tirelessly not only to change its image but also transform it into a clean haven it is today, the ranking is merely vindication of the work they have put in along with the citizens.

Image source: Wikimedia 

When the city was given a dismal ranking back in 2014, authorities began to come up with a plan to address its shortcomings. For starters, since open defecation was a problem, the municipal corporation started building more public toilets.

Even Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has said that all the cities (including Indore) that had improved on their rankings over the years had done so because they paid attention to sanitation. He has been quoted by Livemint as saying, “Results of this year’s survey confirmed that a major transformation in respect to sanitation is taking place in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are the movers and shakers of the cleanliness drive.”

You may also like: How the New Swachhata App Helped a Citizen Get Rid of a Garbage Dump in His Area in Just a Few Hours

But sanitation wasn’t all that Indore paid attention to. Under the watchful eye of bureaucrat Manish Singh, waste management was another key area that was focused upon by city authorities as well as the residents. Indore Municipal Corporation began door-to-door collection schemes and citizens were urged to segregate.

The city authorities also made sure that drainage pipes were laid out in order to eradicate any open drains in the region.

And that’s how from the 434 cities that were surveyed, Indore stood tall and clean.

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