Bhopal Joins ‘Super Swachh League’, Negative Marking Raises Stakes For BMC

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After securing second place among cities with a population above 10 lakh in Swachh Survekshan 2024, Bhopal has now entered the elite Super Swachh League for the first time.

The city, also ranked as India’s cleanest capital with a 7-Star rating, will now compete against top performers like Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Vijayawada and Ahmedabad.

With this elevation, the challenge for the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has intensified significantly. This year’s survey, themed Lend a Hand, Clean Together, introduces stricter evaluation norms, including negative marking for visible garbage and poor ground conditions.

Persistent issues such as waste accumulation at the Adampur dumpsite could prove costly, as even minor lapses may directly affect the city’s ranking.

Citizen role now crucial

Officials indicate that success in the upcoming survey will depend not only on municipal efforts but also on active public participation. If more than 50% deficiencies are found during inspections or if misleading feedback is recorded, marks will be deducted, impacting the overall score. Cleanliness, authorities stress, is now a shared responsibility rather than solely a civic duty of the administration.

Ground challenge

Encouragingly, several initiatives are underway across the city. Door-to-door waste collection has improved in many residential areas, while source segregation practice is still a major challenge. Efforts to beautify water bodies are also in progress.

Negligence in commercial areas

Despite these efforts, lapses remain visible in key commercial zones like MP Nagar and New Market. Littering, improper waste disposal and failure to segregate garbage continue to undermine the city’s cleanliness claims and could adversely impact survey scores.

Administration appeals for support

BMC Commissioner Sanskriti Jain emphasised the need for collective action. “Achieving a better ranking is not solely the responsibility of the corporation. Citizens must cooperate by maintaining cleanliness and avoiding littering to help Bhopal become the number one city,” Jain said.