Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain among 50 cities in Centre's Pragati-50 plan, to be monitored round the year

The Centre plans to develop 50 cities in the country with global-standard infrastructure and cleanliness. The Swachh Survekshan results will be announced in New Delhi on November 11. Along with that, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will bring in the draft framework of 'Pragati-50' for 50 major cities.

Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain from Madhya Pradesh are on the list. Tirupati, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Udaipur, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Agra and Patna are also included.

Cities under 'Pragati-50' will have to follow the Swachh Survekshan SOPs in full. They will be monitored directly at the ministry level through the Director of the Swachh Bharat Mission. A committee at the level of Union minister will review cleanliness parameters every two months. Officials of the rank of principal secretary at the Centre will also carry out inspections every month.

A state-level committee has also been formed for the cities of Madhya Pradesh, which will monitor them at intervals of 15 days. Urban local bodies, the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the Central Pollution Control Board and other departments will also support the development of the cities.

The 50 cities will compete with one another. The ministry will award big development projects as a reward to cities that meet the cleanliness and other set parameters. Indore is meeting most of the parameters, but it will have to focus more on recovery of garbage collection fees, consistency in sanitation through the year, control of red and yellow spots, and fines.

The parameters include 100 per cent garbage collection from households, commercial units and bulk waste generators. Door-to-door vehicles will be digitally tracked, in a way that ordinary citizens can also see. Recovery of garbage collection fees is also necessary. There must be one primary RRR centre, along with mobile RRR centres with an online platform. Major markets, tourist spots, transport hubs and religious places must be cleaned at night and have garbage collected twice a day.

Rivers, drains, ghats and riverfronts must be kept clean. Areas must be free of red spots and yellow spots. Roadside walls, footpaths and dividers must be beautified, and public places must be kept free of posters. Water Plus certification, reuse of treated water and sewage treatment are also required. Cleaning must be 100 per cent mechanised, and the arrangements include collection and storage of e-waste as well as collection of textile waste.

Shishir Gemawat, Mission Director of Swachh Bharat Mission, Madhya Pradesh, said: "The 50 cities in the country that perform better in cleanliness have been included in 'Pragati-50'. Three cities of Madhya Pradesh are in it. So far, monitoring in the Swachh Survekshan was done twice a year, but now these cities will be monitored continuously through the year. Assessment and parameters will be entered on the portal. In next year's Swachh Survekshan, these 50 cities will get a special assessment."