Bengal Eyes Replication Of Indore’s Swachh Model

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): With Indore continuing to set benchmarks in urban cleanliness, a West Bengal team led by State Cabinet Minister Dilip Ghosh on Thursday visited the city to study its waste management and sanitation model, with an aim to replicate key elements in Bengal.

Ghosh, accompanied by officials and experts, undertook a one-day study tour and reviewed the entire waste management chain — from the Command and Control Centre and door-to-door collection to waste segregation, transportation and processing.

The team also visited field facilities and waste-processing plants to understand how the system operates.

During the visit, Ghosh met Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav and discussed the city’s sanitation system and its evolution over the years. A detailed presentation on Indore’s cleanliness model was also made to the delegation at the Command and Control Centre.

The West Bengal delegation included IIT professor Niyogi, Pollution Control Board officials, engineers from Kharagpur, road development engineers and officials associated with the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Mayor Bhargav said West Bengal was studying successful models from across the country and looking at ways to adapt them locally. “Wherever good work is happening in the country, we are trying to learn from those models and implement them in West Bengal. Indore’s cleanliness model is an important part of this effort,” he said.

Indore’s 20-Year Journey A Lesson For Bengal: Minister

Ghosh said Indore’s success was not the result of a short-term effort but of nearly two decades of sustained work in sanitation.

“Whenever cleanliness is discussed, Indore’s name comes first. We have come to understand this model and study the system closely,” he said.

The minister said the delegation was not interested merely in seeing how streets are cleaned but wanted to understand the complete waste management cycle — where waste originates, how it is collected and segregated, where it is transported and how it is ultimately processed.

Bengal Acknowledges Gap

Ghosh acknowledged that West Bengal still has considerable ground to cover in urban sanitation. While some systems are in place, he said they are not adequate and that several aspects of Indore’s model could provide useful lessons.

The delegation plans to study the systems in detail and explore their phased implementation in West Bengal based on local requirements.