GUNTUR: The Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has secured the top spot in a Statewide urban cleanliness survey conducted via Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) on July 1, thanks to a special sanitation drive and meticulous micro-level planning.
Guntur received the highest overall public satisfaction rating of 67%, edging out larger cities such as Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, which scored 66% each. Kakinada and Rajamahendravaram followed closely with 65%. Other high-performing cities included Nellore (64%), Tirupati, Anantapur, and Kurnool (63% each), and Kadapa (62%).
The IVRS survey evaluated sanitation performance in three categories—door-to-door garbage collection, garbage removal within 24 hours, and overall sanitation satisfaction. Guntur emerged as the top performer in all three areas. In overall citizen satisfaction, it led with 74.4%, followed by Rajamahendravaram (74.3%), Chittoor and Machilipatnam (72.4%), and Nellore and Kakinada (72.2%).
In terms of 24-hour garbage removal, Guntur again topped the list with 66.6%, followed by Vizianagaram (66.4%), Kakinada (66%), GVMC (65.3%), and Vijayawada (65%). For door-to-door waste collection, Guntur led with 61.7%, ahead of Rajamahendravaram (58.6%), Vizianagaram (57.9%), Eluru (56.4%), and Machilipatnam (55.8%). Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communication, Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, hailed the achievement on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, lauding GMC officials and sanitation workers for their dedicated efforts in making Guntur a model city despite operational challenges.
GMC Commissioner Puli Srinivasulu credited the success to a revamped, division-wise sanitation system. Each election division now functions as a sanitation division, and every 350 households are grouped into a “micro packet,” supervised by two sanitation workers. These teams begin operations at 5:30 a.m., performing door-to-door waste collection, sweeping, and 100% drain cleaning by midday.
To ensure accountability, nodal officers have been deployed in every ward, while a command-control centre is being set up with AI and drone surveillance to monitor worker attendance, service delivery, and complaint resolution in real-time. Guntur East MLA Mohammed Naseer criticised the previous YSRCP government’s punitive garbage tax and appreciated the current administration.