As a part of the Narendra Modi government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a cleanliness survey titled Swachh Survekshan 2017 was undertaken in 434 cities and towns of the country by the Urban Development Ministry. The survey ranks cities and towns on various aspects of sanitation like solid waste management, door-to-door collection, processing and disposal, open defecation free (ODF) status, citizen feedback and independent observation.
The results are out and were announced on Thursday, 4 May 2017, as the list of India's cleanest cities. While Indore in Madhya Pradesh topped the list, Bhopal ranked second and Vishakhapatnam took 3rd place in the list, Rajasthan performed very poorly with 13 of its cities in bottom 100, Jaipur on 215th position.
Rajasthan Tourism's much hyped tagline - Jaane Kya Dikh Jaaye! (You never know what you might see) was thought of as a clever phrase to attract tourists. but now with the growing mounts of garbage that can be found in every nook and corner of the Jaipur city and all other cities of Rajasthan, this tagline is acquiring a new meaning, which is SAD!
It is SAD that this happened to the most popular tourist places in India. Not even a single city from Rajasthan could make it to the top 150 cleanest cities of the country. The cleanest in Rajasthan came out to be Bundi - 171st position. 18 out of the 29 cities of Rajasthan that were surveyed for Swachh Survekshan 2017 have been ranked below 300 and 13 of them are in the bottom 100.
The state capital, Jaipur, which is also a loved tourist destination in the country and also one in the Smart Cities project, couldn't even make its place in the top 200. Our city of Jaipur landed up on the 215th position in the list of the cleanest cities in India. Jaipur lacked many of the survey parameters like door-to-door collection, disposal of solid waste, the construction of toilets and the open defalcation free (ODF) status.
It's high time that you stop throwing that garbage on the road and urinating on walls of random buildings in the city. If we want to live in a cleaner city, a smart city Jaipur, it's we who have to bring the change, first in ourselves and then in the city! To a cleaner Jaipur... #SwachhBharat #cleanJaipur