Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 18 : Shimla city's mayor, Surinder Chauhan strongly objected to the recent rankings of the Swachh Survekshan awards, calling into question credibility of the process conducted by the Central Government's agency.
Chauhan, who heads one of the oldest municipal corporations in the country, expressed dismay over Shimla being ranked poorly in the national Swachh Survekshan Index, despite receiving a 100 per cent cleanliness certificate from the same evaluating agency.
"On one hand, we are given a 100% cleanliness score by the same agency, and on the other hand, they rank us extremely low in Swachh Survekshan. This contradiction is shocking and raises serious doubts about the integrity of the process," Chauhan told ANI.
Mayor Chauhan said that the matter has been taken up with the Union Urban Development Ministry, demanding a full investigation into the methodology used for the rankings. He pointed out that many of the parameters used in the survey are not even applicable to Shimla.
"For example, we are being judged under the lake-cleaning category, while Shimla does not have any lakes at all. Despite that, the report shows we were marked zero in that category, which is completely misleading and unfair," he said.
Chauhan also questioned the agency's claim that Shimla has only 2% waste segregation.
"This is completely false," he said, and adding that "we carry out waste segregation at source and collect dry waste not just from the city, but also from surrounding 17 rural panchayats and areas like Theog, Rampur, Chopal and Sarahan. Yet the agency reflects just 2% segregation. This cannot be accepted."
He emphasized that this flawed ranking directly impacts the morale of Municipal Corporation employees, who, despite working under harsh weather and difficult terrain, ensure the city's cleanliness standards are maintained.
Highlighting the city being a global tourist destination, the mayor said, "Shimla is a global tourist destination known for its clean air and well-maintained public spaces."
"Tourists come here for that experience. When our rankings are pulled down despite visible ground-level work, it demoralizes the hardworking sanitation teams," he added.
The mayor confirmed that both he and the Municipal Commissioner will be writing a formal letter to the Urban Development Ministry and also seek accountability from the survey agency.
"I have no objection to Shimla not being ranked number one," Chauhan said, "But the question is: what are the parameters on which this scoring is based? The agency must explain the criteria. I strongly register my resentment and will communicate the same officially to the Government of India."
Chauhan also claimed that Shimla was recently conferred the SKOCH Award for Cleanliness, further adding to the irony that while one national platform recognizes the city's efforts, another simultaneously pulls down its rating.
"This contradiction cannot be ignored. The entire survey needs a re-evaluation. The parameters used must be reviewed and corrected. If this was a genuine and fact-based ranking, I would have no issue. But this is far from the ground reality," he asserted.
He further alleged that the population base used in the evaluation was grossly exaggerated, adding, "Even by current figures, Shimla's population is far below what was recorded by the agency. This also skewed the results."
The Swachh Survekshan awards were conferred by President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday in Delhi. Indore was once again declared to be India's cleanest city, with Surat securing second and Navi Mumbai standing third.