Indore and Depalpur rank second nationally in Swachh Shehar Jodi; President Murmu confers award

Indore and Depalpur have been placed second at the national level in the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative. At a ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday, President Droupadi Murmu honoured both cities. The award was given for using Indore's sanitation model to transform Depalpur's system.

Depalpur has a population of about 20,000. In cleanliness it ranked 378th among 380 cities in Madhya Pradesh, among the lowest-placed. Under the supervision of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), its condition improved considerably within a year. It later ranked 1,710th among 2,030 cities in the country.

The initiative began on September 30, 2025. Under it, Indore became Depalpur's mentor city and gave it sanitation technology, resources and administrative experience. The corporation initially set a target of improvement within 100 days.

Door-to-door garbage collection was first started in all 15 wards of Depalpur. Eight vehicles were deployed for this, four of which were received under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To build the habit of segregating waste at home, 14,000 dustbins were distributed.

A material recovery facility costing Rs 40 lakh was built to process dry waste. A composting unit costing Rs 10 lakh was set up to dispose of wet waste.

Another major achievement was the scientific disposal of 1,250 metric tonnes of legacy waste that had accumulated for five years at the trenching ground on Banedia Road. This cleared 2.2 acres of land. About 300 saplings were planted on it so that a green forest can develop there.

To increase public participation, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle centres were opened in all wards. A separate service centre for 66 workers was set up for the convenience of sanitation workers. A ranking system of 500 points was also introduced to foster competition among wards.

Public spaces were beautified and the Surajkund stepwell was restored. About 300 stray cattle were taken to the Hatod gaushala.

The model is being discussed beyond Madhya Pradesh. Officials from Rajasthan visited Depalpur to understand the change in its sanitation. Some nearby towns, including Mhow, may adopt similar methods.