Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation eyes top rank in next Swachh Survekshan

A day after bagging the 'Cleanest Big City' award from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the civic authority aims to make Ahmedabad the cleanest city of the country in the next Survekshan. This year the city has improved its ranking by six positions. Last year, the city was ranked 12.

The city was adjudged as the 'Cleanest Big City' in the category of the cities with a population of more than 10 lakhs. "We have achieved a milestone. Earlier, we had set a target to be in the list of top ten cities of the country. Now that we have made it through, we are aiming to make Ahmedabad the cleanest city of the country," said Bijal Patel, mayor of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

According to municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra, around 10% of the population are not following sanitation rules. The civic body will impose a fine on those who are found spitting, littering or urinating in open. "There are certain grey areas on which we are working. It is now up to the citizens to keep the city clean," Patel added.

Ironically, the events and campaigns which aimed at keeping the city clean were short-lived. The city got a tremendous response when a blanket ban on plastic was imposed. "Use of plastic had completely stopped, even the small scale vendors were using paper bags and other alternatives of plastic. Sadly, the movement hit a snag after a while. It is a matter of pride that the city has received some recognition, but there are several factors that needs attention. For example, the city roads littered with garbage need to be cleaned," said Dinesh Sharma, leader of the Opposition.