Small cities put metros to shame in cleanliness ratings
They may not have the glamourous tag but when it comes to cleanliness and sanitation, smaller cities like Chandigarh, Mysore, Surat, Tiruchirapalli and Jamshedpur have beaten the metros in the sanitation ratings released by the Union urban development ministry on Monday.
Not surprisingly, Chandigarh is on top, followed by Mysore, Surat, New Delhi Municipal Council area and Delhi Cantt in the top-five list of civic areas graded by independent agencies appointed by the ministry.
Cities like Tiruchirapalli, Jamshedpur, Mangalore and Rajkot fall in the top 10 list out of 441 cities and towns with a population of more than one lakh subjected to the test.
- TOP OF THE HEAP: Chandigarh tops the cleanliness charts
What could surprise many, Kanpur, once a major industrial city and considered quite polluted, ranked 10th in the list. With an ambitious task of 100% sanitation, the ministry took up the rating exercise with the objective of promoting safe sanitation in around 400 cities and towns across the country. Though Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) could not make it to the list of top 25 released by the ministry, metropolitan areas — Navi Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai — got the 11th, 12th and 13th rank, respectively. Kolkata could manage the last rank in the list of top 25 cities and towns.
Cities and towns have been rated on parameters such as complete elimination of open defecation, elimination of open scavenging, safe collection and disposal of total human excreta. On basis of the rating, cities are been classified as Red, Black, Blue and Green which would denote increasing level of achievement of good environmental and health outcomes.
The overall sanitation standard in cities and towns in the country was reflected in the fact that not a single city could achieve the top most classification of Green, while only four — Chandigarh, Mysore, Surat and New Delhi Municipal Council area — could find a place in second best classification of Blue.
Though the ministry did not release the list of the worst (Red) category, only 25 cities and towns out of 441 could find place in the Blue and Black categories.
The Capital’s neighbouring township of Noida could manage the 17th rank while Ahmadabad achieved the 19th place. Haridwar got the 21th rank and Vijaywada 24th in the list.
Releasing the rating, urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy hoped that some cities would reach the top most Green classification soon. He said the rating exercise for class I cities and towns was undertaken in order to sensitize the states and cities as well as citizens about the current state of sanitation and raise awareness about the need for improvement.
Source: epaper.timesofindia.com