NEW DELHI: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) won the second position in the ‘Clean City’ category among urban local bodies with a population of 50,000 to three lakh in the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at a ceremony on Wednesday.
The award was received by NDMC chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi and vice chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal at Vigyan Bhawan.
The latest ranking marks a change from last year, when NDMC was recognised as a ‘Super Swachh League City’ in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 for its consistent performance in cleanliness and sanitation.
Over the years, the council has maintained a strong presence in the national cleanliness rankings. It was ranked the cleanest small city in the country in the 1-3 lakh population category in 2022 and was recognised as the cleanest Union Territory in 2023.
In 2020, it was also named the cleanest capital city. It also secured the first position in the 1-3 lakh population category in 2018, 2019 and 2021, according to its year-wise performance records. The council attributed its latest ranking to mechanised cleaning, night-time sweeping operations, scientific waste management and public participation.
Under the NDMC area come major government offices, diplomatic missions, heritage sites and busy commercial centres such as Connaught Place, Khan Market and Sarojini Nagar, which see a steady flow of visitors, shoppers and office-goers.
To manage the daily cleaning requirements, the council has deployed 11 mechanical road sweepers and 20 gobbler machines, besides specialised jetting equipment for cleaning roads, footpaths and public spaces, Chahal said.
It has also strengthened night-time cleaning operations in the area to remove waste accumulated during the day without disrupting traffic and commercial activities.
The council processes around 300 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day against an available processing capacity of 509 tonnes per day. It has eight Micro Material Recovery Facilities and a network of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle centres to promote waste segregation and recycling.
Chahal said that the recognition reflected the council’s efforts to improve cleanliness through modern technology, mechanisation, scientific waste management system and public participation.
Chairman Dwivedi said the objective was not just to secure a better position in cleanliness surveys but also to provide a clean and healthy environment to residents and visitors.
The council said that sanitation workers, field officers, supervisors, resident welfare associations, market associations and citizens had contributed to the achievement.
The annual rankings under Swachh Bharat Mission
The annual survey, conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), evaluates cities across the country on cleanliness, waste management systems, and overall urban hygiene.
