Bhubaneswar: Two cities in Odisha have found a place in the 100 cleanest cities in one to 10 lakh population category of Swachh Survekshan Ranking 2021.
While Berhampur has been ranked 56th, Rourkela occupies the 57th slot and is the only city in Odisha to get One Star Rating.
While Berhampur had earlier improved its ranking from 216 in 2019 to 89 in 2020, Rourkela elevated its position by 135 positions against last year.
Bhubaneswar at 144, on the other, has improved its ranking by 130 positions in the annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation.
The Odisha capital was placed at 24th position in the annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation among 73 cities in 2016. In 2017, it got a ranking of 94 among 434 cities. With the number of cities under the annual survey going up to 4203 in 2018, Bhubaneswar was ranked 245. The ranking declined the following year and it was ranked 288th among 4237 cities. In 2020, Bhubaneswar improved its ranking to 274 with the survey being conducted in 4242 cities.
“The city has seen a considerable improvement this year. We have to complete the construction of all the micro composting centres and focus on 100% door-to-door collection of segregated wastes,” BMC Deputy Commissioner (Sanitation) Suvendu Kumar Sahu told the media.
BMC additional commissioner Laxmikant Sethi said that they could improve the position despite the fact that all manpower and resources were focusing on containing the spread of Covid-19 in the city. “We will improve further and come back with flying colours,” he added.
Besides Berhampur and Rourkela, Balasore at 109 and Puri at 125 have also fared better than Bhubaneswar. Balasore and Puri had secured 394 and 299 ranks in the Swachh Survekshan-2020.
Apart from the five cities, Cuttack has secured 162 and Sambalpur 167 rank in this category. Among urban local bodies, Baripada and Bhadrak have been ranked 202 and 261 respectively in the survey.
