TIRUCHY: Anticipation looms over Tiruchy as the city corporation and residents await the results of Swachh Survekshan 2023, a national cleanliness survey conducted for cities by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Notably, Tiruchy had secured the 262nd position, its lowest, in the cleanliness survey in 2022.
However, optimism prevails as two Union ministers praised the city's cleanliness during the inauguration of Tiruchy airport terminal on Tuesday. Union ministers L Murugan and Jyotiraditya Scindia lauded Tiruchy as the cleanest city in the state. A senior corporation official pointed to additional grounds for optimism, citing the city's sixth position in the National Clean Air Survey 2023 among cities with a population of over 10 lakh.
"Chennai ranked 39th in the same survey. We hope that this will be factored in by officials during SS rankings," an official said, adding the corporation is anticipating Tiruchy to be among the top five cities. Meanwhile, residents, buoyed by the ministers' remarks, believe Tiruchy deserves a spot in the top 10. KR Jagannathan, a retired central government official and Anna Nagar resident, said, "Majority of the garbage is cleared from the city streets before noon. It's unlikely that any cities exist this way."
"The SS team ought to provide us with an explanation if we are unable to obtain a spot in the top ten. They ought to specify how a clean air city falls short of securing a high ranking in the cleanliness survey," said Malathy S, a school teacher and a Pudur resident.