Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal, once ranked among India's cleanest cities, has failed to secure a place in any category of the Swachh Survekshan 2026-27 awards, marking a major setback for the state capital. Despite spending crores of rupees on cleanliness drives and survey preparations, the city has drawn a blank, with the legacy waste backlog at Adampur landfill emerging as a major hurdle.
President Droupadi Murmu will honour the country's cleanest cities at a ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday. However, Bhopal has failed to qualify for the Capital City category, Super League or any other award category.
The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) remained embroiled in controversies throughout the year, affecting its sanitation performance. The Jinsi slaughterhouse controversy led to the shutdown of the rendering plant, while poor sewage management and drinking water services exposed gaps in civic administration.
A sanitation workers' strike ahead of Diwali dealt another blow to daily cleaning operations. These developments raised questions over the priorities of public representatives, including Mayor Malti Rai, and the then municipal commissioner, Sanskriti Jain in ensuring consistent sanitation management and accountability.
Adampur legacy waste becomes major hurdle
Nearly 6.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste accumulated at the Adampur landfill has become a major embarrassment for the civic body. The matter is also pending before the Supreme Court.
The tender process was delayed after councillors failed to support the proposal during a BMC council meeting, despite Supreme Court directions. The then commissioner subsequently referred the matter to the state government, which took the final decision, delaying the process by more than 10 days.
Around 2.18 lakh tonnes of legacy waste have been processed so far by Saurashtra Enviro Projects under a contract worth approximately Rs 53 crore. The deadline for clearing the remaining waste is March 31, 2027.
The company has also secured a separate Rs 48-crore contract to process nearly 800 tonnes of fresh waste generated daily in Bhopal.
Crores spent, but not a single award
The city's exclusion has raised questions over the BMC's annual expenditure, reportedly close to Rs 100 crore, on cleanliness and survey preparations.
Expenses include wall paintings, public toilet renovations, beautification, consultancy and documentation. More than Rs 50 crore was also spent on survey-related activities.
Under the Swachh Jodi initiative, Bhopal extended assistance to Berasia Municipality, bearing the expenses itself.
Bhopal had secured second position in 2017, 2018 and 2024, after starting at 21st in 2016. It slipped to 19th in 2019 but gradually improved.
Despite missing out on awards this year, officials said its Water Plus and Garbage Free City certifications remain valid.
Overhaul needed before next survey
The BMC needs to strengthen zone-level accountability, decentralise night-cleaning operations and ensure regular monitoring by assistant health officers.
Long-standing zone postings also need reshuffling, while sanitation responsibilities must be assigned to trained health department personnel.
