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Dravidian Model: Chennai Ranks 199/446, Not One City From TN In Top 100 Clean Cities

The Commune

In the latest edition of Swachh Survekshan, the world’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the Swachh Bharat Urban Mission, Indore, and Surat emerged as joint winners for the cleanest cities in India. The prestigious Swachh Survekshan Awards were presented by President Draupadi Murmu on 11 January 2024.

Swachh Survekshan, initiated in 2016, has become a significant competition among towns and cities, urging them to enhance cleanliness and waste management services. With the primary goal of fostering large-scale citizen participation and raising awareness about collaborative efforts to improve urban living conditions, the survey assesses cities on 46 indicators.

This year marked the eighth edition of the survey, where over 3,000 assessors evaluated more than 4,500 cities. Key indicators encompassed various aspects, including segregated door-to-door waste collection, hosting zero waste events, provision of disabled-friendly toilets, and effective plastic waste management.

Saswad in Maharashtra secured the Cleanest City Award for urban centers with a population of fewer than 1 lakh. Following Saswad, Patan in Chhattisgarh and Lonavla in Maharashtra claimed the second and third spots, respectively.

How Did TN Fare?

Chennai, however, received a rank of 199 out of 446 in the Swachh Survekshan awards bestowed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Notably, no city in Tamil Nadu secured a position within the top 100 ranks. The city scored only 12% in waste processing, with just 21% of landfills undergoing bioremediation.

In the citizen perception survey, Chennai achieved a modest 50%, and only 77% of its toilets were deemed clean. The city’s open-defecation status received just 50% points as well. Despite excelling in health and education indicators, Tamil Nadu exhibited a noteworthy gap in hygiene, cleanliness, and waste management, highlighting the need for targeted improvements in these areas.

Tiruchi City Corporation was the only city from TN that excelled in Swachh Survekshan 2023, securing the top spot in Tamil Nadu among cities with over one lakh population and a national rank of 112 out of 446 major cities. With 5,794.89 marks out of 9,500, it marked a significant improvement from the 2022 survey where it ranked 262nd. Recognized as an ODF++ achiever, Tiruchi met key parameters for open defecation-free status and enhanced public toilet maintenance. The city’s progress was acknowledged at an event in New Delhi.

How Did The So-Called Hindi Heartland Fare?

Bihar secured the 15th position among 27 states in the national Swachh Survekshan 2023 rankings. Patna was the sole Bihar city to feature in the top 100, holding the 77th spot in the national rankings for cities with a population exceeding one lakh. Surat and Indore jointly clinched the top position in the Swachh Survekshan 2023 rankings, with Indore maintaining its dominance for six consecutive years.

Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh earned the title of the Cleanest Cantonment Board. Coming to Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi and Prayagraj received the top honours as the Cleanest Ganga Towns.

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh secured the first three places, respectively, in the awards for Best Performing State.

Netizen Reactions 

Netizens from Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, were peeved by the results and felt that Chennai did not even deserve the ranking it got. Here are some reactions.

(with inputs from Hindustan Times)

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