Misrepresentation of sanitation infrastructure and their usage such as construction of toilets and processing of waste will cost dear to municipal bodies. They will not only lose points, but will also get negative mark during the ranking of cities on sanitation parameters. This mechanism has been introduced in the assessment methodology for Swachh Survey ranking of cities for 2018.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday launched ‘Swachchh Survekshan-2018’ to rank all the 4,041 cities and towns of the country which would be based on infrastructure development for improved sanitation services and their sustainability, outcomes, citizen connect and visible impact on ground.
The swachchh survey parameters will be used for assessment of 4,041 cities and towns, which have at least 40 crore people. The survey results would be announced in March next year, include 500 with a population of one lakh and above each and state capitals and 3,541 with population below one lakh each. For these 3,541 towns, State and Zonal rankings will be announced besides national rankings for the other 500 cities and towns.
Under this survey, cities will be ranked based on 71 sanitation related parameters with different weightages for a total of 4,000 marks. Total score has been doubled this time to avoid crowding of cities with very marginal differences in scores that happened in the previous survey. Officials said the new provision for negative mark has been introduced to ensuring rigorous scrutiny of physical progress in improvement in sanitation infrastructure and service levels.
“Under this, if claims of city Governments are found to be incorrect by independent assessors, they will get 33% negative marks besides zero marks in respect of such parameters. It will be double for cities. The assessment will be based on sample survey,” said a ministry official.
This is the third in the series of survey and released a comprehensive Survey Tool Kit, explaining the methodology, weightages and new features and thrust areas that helps cities and towns prepare for the field survey over the next six months. The survey methodology seeks to capture the efforts under and outcomes of the urban component of Swachh Bharat Mission as the cities move on from building toilets towards solid waste management with emphasis on decentralized solutions, ensuring sustainability of improved sanitation infrastructure and services and enforcement.
On this occasion, Union Minister for State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo released a song with opening line ‘Swachhata Ki Jyot Jagi Hai’.(The flame of sanitation has been lit). Earlier making a presentation, Secretary (HUA) Durga Shankar Mishra said that Marks for each of the components of sanitation will be assigned based on rigorous assessment of claims of city governments, citizen feedback and independent observation.
As per the Survey Toolkit released, cities and towns will prepare over the next six months before field assessment begins on the fourth of January next year with survey results scheduled to be announced on March 26, 2018. “Under Swachh Survekshan-2016, 73 cities with a population of million plus each and all state capitals were ranked in which Mysuru, Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli emerged as the cleanest cities in that order. In the 2017 Survey, 434 cities with a population of one lakh plus each and state capitals were assessed in which Indore, Bhopal and Visakhapatnam were the cleanest cities,” he said.