Rajasthan Delegation Visits Depalpur, Studies ‘Swachh Shehar Jodi’ Model

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Depalpur marked a significant milestone in its sanitation journey on Wednesday as officials from various urban local bodies of Rajasthan visited the town to study its evolving waste management and cleanliness model under the ‘Swachh Shehar Jodi’ initiative.

The visit was conducted with support from the Indore Municipal Corporation which is doing hand-holding of Depalpur on the cleanliness front. The Swachh Shehar Jodi’ initiative is aimed at mentoring smaller urban bodies in adopting sustainable sanitation and waste management practices inspired by Indore’s cleanliness model.

Officials including executive officers, commissioners, JENs, XENs, CSI, SI and revenue officers from several Rajasthan municipalities arrived in Depalpur as part of a three-day study and exposure visit organised through the All India Institute of Local Self Government.

The visit was described as a historic occasion for Depalpur, as it was the first time that civic officials from other states came to examine the town’s sanitation reforms and waste management practices on the ground.

Prior to the field visit, IMC additional commissioner Prakhar Singh gave a detailed presentation on the ‘Swachh Shehar Jodi’ initiative, the Indore sanitation model and the reforms implemented in Depalpur.

The delegation was later taken to various sanitation and waste processing sites across the town.

During the visit, the officials inspected the door-to-door waste collection system, source-level segregation of garbage, compost plant, treatment plant, RRR Centre, Surajkund water source, community toilets, public toilets, urinals and other sanitation-related innovations being implemented in Depalpur.

Officials were informed that under the ‘Swachh Shehar Jodi’ initiative, the IMC has been continuously providing technical guidance, field-level support, IEC strategy, monitoring, training and assistance in preparation for Swachh Survekshan protocols.

The Depalpur Municipality Council has also introduced regular door-to-door garbage collection, four-category source segregation, sanitation awareness campaigns, RRR activities, drain cleaning, public sanitation drives and water source protection measures.

Civic officials said special emphasis has been laid on linking citizen participation with behavioural change to strengthen sanitation practices.

The visiting Rajasthan officials appreciated the Depalpur model, calling it a practical, low-cost and community-driven example for smaller towns seeking to improve sanitation systems.

They particularly praised the RRR Centre, water source conservation efforts, composting arrangements, door-to-door waste collection system and citizen awareness initiatives.

According to the delegation members, Depalpur has successfully adapted the Indore cleanliness model to suit local conditions, making it a replicable example for other municipalities across the country.