Chandigarh
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday launched the “Swachh Ward Ranking 2026” initiative of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, calling for collective efforts by citizens, elected representatives, officials, sanitation workers, RWAs, market associations, educational institutions and other stakeholders to make cleanliness a sustained public movement.
Addressing the gathering, Kataria said that the Swachh Ward Ranking 2026 is not merely a competition among wards, but an initiative aimed at creating a new culture of accountability, public participation, healthy competition and scientific waste management in Chandigarh. He said that the identity of the “City Beautiful” is defined not only by its architecture, greenery, wide roads and planned sectors, but equally by cleanliness, civic discipline and responsible behaviour towards public spaces. He emphasised that Chandigarh’s beauty is a legacy, while preserving and enhancing it is the responsibility of the present generation.
The Governor said that a city does not become clean on its own and sustained cleanliness requires the combined efforts of the Municipal Corporation, sanitation workers and citizens. He urged residents to make source segregation, responsible waste disposal and cleanliness of public spaces a daily habit.
Referring to the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, he said cleanliness must move beyond being a government programme and become a personal value and social behaviour. He also called for greater adoption of the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, promoting composting, recycling, reuse and the concept of Waste to Wealth and Circular Economy, with the ultimate objective of minimising waste reaching final disposal sites.
Sh. Kataria highlighted that the Swachh Ward Ranking would bring the cleanliness assessment down to the ward, neighbourhood, market, park, street and household level. He appreciated the transparent, objective and evidence-based assessment framework and evaluation parameters, covering door-to-door waste collection, source segregation, cleanliness of public spaces, management of bulk waste generators, control of single-use plastic, public toilets, zero-waste initiatives, scientific waste management and citizen participation. He said the ranking should measure the entire waste-management chain—from generation, collection and segregation to transportation, processing, recycling, reuse and final disposal—and should be based on actual outcomes rather than photographs or paperwork alone.
He directed the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh to explore possibilities for conducting the swachh ward rankings two times in a year if not possible for conducting it monthly.
The Governor urged councillors to act as the “key facilitators” of the campaign in their respective wards and bring together officials, sanitation workers, RWAs, market associations, schools, youth organisations and citizens. He also called upon schools and colleges to turn students into “Swachhta Ambassadors” who can carry the message of responsible waste management to their homes and communities. Appreciating the role of sanitation workers, he stressed that their dignity, safety, training, protective equipment and health protection must be ensured, while mechanisation and modern technology should be promoted for hazardous sanitation work.
