MC Bathinda wins Clean City award in Swachh Survekshan conducted by Central Government; Various ULBs achieve cleanliness rankings in multiple areas
Multitude of projects in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Sultanpur Lodhi as part of Smart Cities Mission under progress
1200 old diesel auto rickshaws replaced with new electric autos under Auto-Rickshaw Revival Scheme in Amritsar city
Doorstep delivery of services successfully started; Increased convenience for citizens
GIS-based digitization of water supply & sewerage networks for 16 AMRUT towns and Sultanpur Lodhi completed
Chandigarh, December 29:
Punjab has shown exceptional performance in the field of solid waste management during the year 2025. Municipal Corporation Bathinda has received the Swachh Shahar Award in the Swachh Survekshan conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.
Similarly, 25 ULBs have been certified as Garbage Free Star-1, 01 ULBs as Garbage Free Star-3, 46 ULBs as Pani+, 53 ULBs as ODF++, 43 ULBs as ODF+ and 22 ULBs as ODF.
Punjab Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh, giving details about the initiatives taken by the Local Government Department during the current year by the State Government led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, said that Punjab has managed old waste in 131 ULBs under the state’s legacy waste disposal initiative. Under this, out of a total of 84.09 lakh metric tons of old waste, 40.78 lakh metric tons have already been managed, while a plan has been prepared to manage the remaining 43.31 lakh metric tons of waste (35 ULBs) by April, 2027.
Dr. Ravjot Singh said that during the year 2025, special attention was paid to the management of fresh waste, under which work was undertaken to improve door-to-door waste collection, segregation at source and processing by ULBs. He informed that out of the total 4008 TPD solid waste, 3243 TPD (81%) of wet waste is being processed through composting and bio-methanation and channelization of dry waste, which can be recycled by scrap dealers and waste collectors.
Further informing, the Minister added that 9812 tricycles and 3162 mechanical vehicles have been deployed for waste collection and transportation. Also, 8436 compost pits (aerobic honeycomb) and 276 material recovery facilities have been constructed for waste processing.
The Cabinet Minister informed that various projects of Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Sultanpur Lodhi are under progress under the Smart Cities Mission. As part of Ludhiana Smart City Project, 71 projects worth Rs. 769.18 crore have been completed, while 08 projects worth Rs. 138.05 crore are under development. He also divulged that 19 projects worth Rs. 580 crore of Amritsar Smart City Project have been completed, while 10 projects worth Rs. 245 crore are under development.
Likewise, 56 projects worth Rs. 771.57 crore of Jalandhar Smart City have been completed, while 04 projects worth Rs. 162.88 crore are under development. He informed that under Sultanpur Lodhi Smart City mission, 06 projects worth Rs. 29.57 crore have been completed and 14 projects worth Rs. 136.28 crore are under progress. He also disclosed that in addition to the above, infrastructure works worth Rs. 850 crore have been done in 166 ULBs with funds provided by the Punjab Government through PIDB since March, 2022.
Along with this, development works worth Rs. 1700 crore have been done in 166 ULBs with MC funds, while development works worth Rs. 450 crore have been completed in 05 Municipal Corporations and 49 Municipal Councils.
Dr. Ravjot Singh further pointed out that sm
under the Revival of Auto-Rickshaws (RAAHI) scheme to reduce air pollution in the holy city of Amritsar, 1200 old diesel auto-rickshaws have been replaced with new electric autos.
Apart from this, 200 pink e-autos have been given to women beneficiaries at a subsidized price of 90 percent to empower women in the city. To ensure efficient public transport system with zero emission in the major cities of the state, 447 e-buses are being purchased for major cities namely Amritsar (100), Jalandhar (97), Ludhiana (100), Patiala (50) and SAS Nagar (Mohali) Cluster (100), which will improve the public transport system and reduce dependence on private transport in the major cities of the state.
Dr. Ravjot Singh informed that the Local Government Department has successfully started door step delivery of services, which has increased the convenience of the citizens. He said that it has been ensured that the main Municipal Corporation services are accessible without the need to visit government offices.
The Local Government Minister further articulated that the work of GIS-based digitization of water supply and sewerage networks for 16 Amrut towns and Sultanpur Lodhi has been completed. He informed that Rs. 32 crore has been received as incentive under the ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) 2024-25’ scheme. He informed that the sewerage mapping for 103 ULBs and water supply mapping for 105 ULBs have been finalized.
