VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Pradesh secured three top ranks in the all India Swachh Survekshan rankings. While Visakhapatnam came fourth, Vijayawada and Tirupati claimed the fourth and seventh ranks, respectively, among cities having a population of above 1 lakh.
Teams from the Union ministry of Urban and Housing had fanned out in the country to assess the performance of urban local bodies in parameters such as cleanliness, citizen feedback and social media, and submitted their reports. Swachh Survekshan rankings were announced in the presence of Union Minister Hardip Singh Puri in New Delhi on Saturday.
Indore retained its number one slot. Visakhapatnam climbed five ranks compared to last year. Indore scored 7,146 out of 7,500 to stay on top. Visakhapatnam got a score of 6,701, with Vijayawada coming close with 6,699. Tirupati secured 6,585 points.
Visakhapatnam mayor Golagani Hari Venkata Kumari termed it a proud moment for Vizag. She said it was a collective effort of administration along with Swachh Bharat ambassadors, people’s representatives, RWS, voluntary organisations, and educational institutions in creating awareness in garbage collection.
Vijayawada wins awards in several categories
With the same zeal and enthusiasm, they will strive to further beautify the city. Their target was to get first rank for Vizag, she said. Vijayawada secured the fifth rank in the Clean State Capital at national level and first rank in the State capital category in the survey. The city has also won awards in various categories, including Door-to-Door Collection of garbage, cleanliness of roads, public toilets, market areas, residential areas, maintenance of drains, public grievances and redressal, and city beautification.
In the previous Swachh Survekshan rankings Vijayawada was third, but slipped two slots in the latest edition. Municipal Commissioner Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar attributed the honour received to team work. He congratulated the sanitation staff, public health workers and other staff for keeping the city clean. However, Tirupati municipal corporation secured the first rank with five star ranking in the Swachh Survekshan among cities having population of one to 10 lakh.
MINISTER SURESH, CIVIC BODY OFFICIALS RECEIVE AWARDS
Municipal Administration Minister Adimulapu Suresh, along with the respective civic body representatives, received the awards from Union Minister Hardip Singh Puri at the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav held at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi.