Will Mysuru – the heritage city – that was declared the ‘cleanest city’ in India two consecutive times under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, bag the coveted title for the third time in a row ?
While the answer will be known in the first week of May, officials here are on tenterhooks as they have received a communiqué from the Union government to attend a function on May 4, 2017, in New Delhi. This is normally communicated to the Mayor and the Commissioner of the three cleanest cities and the ranking is announced at the venue.
Top contender
The countdown has begun for the declaration of the results of the cleanest city survey conducted by the Quality Council of India. Speaking to The Hindu, Jagadeesha, MCC Commissioner, said that the final ranking will be announced only at the time of presenting the award or a day before. However, the invitation to attend the function confirms that Mysuru is among the top contenders.
C.G. Betsurmath, former corporation commissioner, who received the award on behalf of the MCC twice, said the practice was to invite officials and mayors from 10 cities of whom three receive the citation and the awards. The representatives of the remaining seven cities too receive awards under different categories, said Mr. Betsurmath, currently the Executive Secretary of the JSS Mahavidyapeetha. So the official communiqué to the Commissioner and the Mayor to visit Delhi is a confirmation that Mysuru is definitely in the race though one has to wait for the final ranking, he added.
Tougher competition
The competition under Swachh Sarvekshan for 2017 is tough this year as 500 cities and towns with a population of 1 lakh and above are vying for the top honours. This is in contrast to 73 cities with a population of 10 lakh and above that were surveyed in the 2016 exercise.
The MCC has pulled all stops to make it three in a row through effective waste management solutions including segregating waste at source, construction of toilets, eliminating open air defecation, and more.
