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Time of India
19-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Indore Shows The Way, Nagpur Dumps Its Gains
Nagpur: Senior officials from Indore Municipal Corporation had arrived on a learning mission when Nagpur was hailed as a pioneer — its bin-free city model introduced in 2008–09 — drew national attention. Door-to-door garbage collection, scientific landfilling at Bhandewadi, and regular street sweeping earned the city accolades under the National Urban Sanitation Policy. Nagpur was once among the top five cleanest cities in India and seen as a role model for urban waste management. But that was year 2014. A front-runner in cleanliness rankings and recipient of multiple awards under the Sant Gadge Baba and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru campaigns between 2001 and 2012, a decade later, the tables have turned. In Swachh Survekshan 2024–25, Nagpur slipped to 27th rank among 44 cities with a million-plus population. Even more damning is the fact that the city failed to secure a single star in the garbage-free city (GFC) certification — scoring just 1% in source segregation. Indore retained the No. 1 spot for the sixth consecutive year, a reflection of its consistent public participation, robust enforcement, and unwavering civic discipline. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Women 60+ Are Ditching Pads For A Better Alternative DryGuard Underwear Learn More Undo "What went wrong?" asks Dr Milind Ganvir, former health officer (sanitation), who once oversaw Nagpur's acclaimed bin-free model. "When Indore officials visited us, they admired our system. But while they kept improving, we became laggards." Despite outsourcing waste collection to two private firms, Nagpur's streets are now strewn with over 400 garbage vulnerable points (GVPs) — a number officials privately admit is an undercount. Black spots have mushroomed across every zone, from residential colonies to market areas. Civic officials claim vehicles arrive on time, but residents continue to dump garbage in the open, ignoring collection schedules and basic waste segregation norms. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has the infrastructure — around 7,000 sanitary workers, six road sweeping machines, three robotic drainage cleaners, 21 suction-cum-jetting machines (plus two newly added by the state), and five suction machines. Yet the real problem, officials admit, lies in the lack of civic sense. An Indore-based sanitation supervisor who once visited Nagpur minced no words saying: "People's approach won't change merely with slogans. In Indore, after two or three warnings, we issue heavy fines. People have learned — discipline comes when enforcement is strict and constant." Indore also employs NGOs for ground-level monitoring, uses a command-and-control centre to track garbage vehicles in real-time, and ensures an immediate response if a collection round is missed. In contrast, Nagpur's enforcement has remained only on paper. Warnings are issued, but penalties are rare. "You can't keep explaining the same thing to people repeatedly," said an NMC official. "Without action, awareness becomes background noise," the official added. A senior sanitation worker said, "It's not that Nagpur doesn't care. Schools participate, citizens join campaigns. But it vanishes the moment you ask them to stop throwing garbage near their homes." Nagpur's fall is not just administrative. It's a reflection of widespread public apathy and erosion of accountability — both civic and individual. While the infrastructure has grown, people's willingness to respect it has shrunk. Nagpur's crash is a wake-up call. Equipment and personnel mean little if roads continue to be used as dumping grounds and public behaviour remains unchanged. "To reclaim lost ground, the city must not only enforce rules but also trigger a cultural shift — from indifference to ownership, from evasion to engagement. Until then, Nagpur's promise of becoming a truly clean city will remain buried under its own waste," said sanitation expert Dr Pradip Dasarwar.
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation revised development plan: No quota for toilets for women, disabled in draft plan, says former standing panel chief
Former Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) standing committee chairperson Seema Sawale on Tuesday raised concern over the 'complete absence' of any reservation for public toilets and urinals, primarily for women and disabled citizens, in the recently published Revised Draft Development Plan (DP) 2025 for Pimpri-Chinchwad. In her objections sent to PCMC, Sawale emphasised that this 'critical blunder' profoundly undermines public health, gender equity as well as the dignity and accessibility needs of women, persons with disabilities and senior citizens. The draft DP has also failed to comply with crucial national and global sanitation mandates. As per the draft development plan, PCMC's population is projected to soar from an estimated 27 lakh in 2021 to 42.45 lakh by 2031 and a staggering 61 lakh by 2041. The absence of any dedicated plot for public sanitation in the Revised Draft Development Plan is a critical oversight. Despite extensive reservations for amenities like schools and parks across 173.12 this essential public health infrastructure has been conspicuously ignored, Sawale said. 'The absence of public toilets encourages open urination and defecation, contributing to the spread of diseases like cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, and typhoid. The proximity of PCMC to rivers such as Pavana, Indrayani, and Mula too heightens the risk of water contamination from unmanaged human waste. This pollution affects drains and public spaces, undermining urban hygiene and conflicting with PCMC's sustainable development objectives,' Sawale said. Sawale said the absence of accessible and appropriate sanitation facilities disproportionately affects women, adolescent girls, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Sawale said that pregnant as well as women undergoing menstruation face severe hygiene challenges and increased health risks such as urinary tract infections due to the lack of safe and adequate toilets. 'For persons with disabilities and senior citizens, the complete absence of accessible toilets severely restricts their participation in public life,' she said. The draft DP directly disregards the Swachh Bharat Mission's (SBM) mandate for universal public sanitation, which recommends one public toilet seat per 200-250 users. It also ignores the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines recommending public toilets every 500–1,000 metres along arterial roads. Furthermore, the DP fails to align with the National Urban Sanitation Policy and Sustainable Development Goals for Clean Water and Sanitation, which targets adequate sanitation by 2030, Sawale alleged. Sawale has urged the PCMC to reserve land for public toilets and urinals at regular intervals along arterial and sub-arterial roads, bus stands, metro stations, and marketplaces, ensuring these facilities are gender-segregated, accessible for persons with disabilities, and suitable for the elderly. Additionally, she calls for a citywide toilet masterplan to ensure sustainable sanitation infrastructure. PCMC has called for suggestions and objections from the public for the draft of the revised development plan. Sawale has urged citizens to file their suggestions/objections and raise the issue of reserving space for public toilets and urinals.
